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The  Tony  Sarg 
Marionette  Book 


The  Tony  Sarg 
Marionette   Book 

•     Illustrated  by  TONY  SARG 


Text  by 
F.  J.  McISAAC 


With  Two  Plays 

for  Home-made  Marionettes  by 

ANNE  STODDARD 


NEW  YORK 

B.  W.  IIUEBSCH,  Inc. 

MCMXXI 


Coptbioht.  1921,  DT  B.  W.  Hdiiibob,  Inc. 
Pbintkd  in  thi  Unitbd  Status  or  Ahibioi 

PUBLISHED,        NOTIUBIl,       1921 

Second    feinting,  December,   1021 


3— 


INTRODUCTION 

Chapter  I. 

Chapter  II. 
Chapteb  III. 

Chapter  IV. 
Chapter  V. 
Chapter  VI. 


CONTENTS 

Tony  Sarg,  Illustrator,  Cartoonist,  and 
Creator  op  Marionettes 1 

The  Tot  Collection  and  What  Came  of  It      4 

Some  Marionette  Miracles  and  How  They 
Are  Done 10 

Puppet  Play  in  History 17 

Home-Made  Marionettes  and  Stage-Craft    24 

Two  Fairy-Plays  for  Home-Made  Marion- 
ettes: With  an  Introduction  Which 
Tells  How  to  Give  Marionette  Enter- 
tainments at  Home 35 


.    rf      fc      s    «     *-     *.      ~».      -     » 


INTRODUCTION 

This  little  book  is  about  Tony  Sarg  and  his  marionettes. 
It  aims  to  acquaint  you  with  the  lovable  and  unique 
personality  of  Tony  Sarg,  illustrator,  cartoonist,  and  cre- 
ator of  marionettes;  and  to  tell  you  about  puppet  shows, 
a  little  of  their  long  and  varied  history  and  of  certain 
matters  connected  with  modern  puppets  which  have  prob- 
ably awakened  your  curiosity,  if  you  have  been  fortunate 
enough  to  see  the  plays  acted  by  Mr.  Sarg's  artistic  and 
expressive  manikins. 

Tony  Sarg  himself  is  responsible  for  a  great  deal  of  the 
information  contained  in  this  book.  He  has  revealed  some 
of  the  mysteries  which  make  his  marionette  productions 
so  different  from  ordinary  puppet  shows,  and  has  spent 
hours  with  the  author,  telling  him  how  he  became  inter- 
ested in  marionettes  and  how  he  developed  the  quaint 
old  form  of  entertainment  along  the  lines  of  the  modern 
"artistic  marionettes,"  as  they  are  known  in  Europe,  of 
which  his  dolls  are  probably  the  most  charming  examples 
of  the  present  day. 

Mr.  Sarg  has  consented  to  tell  young  people  how  they 
may  build  marionette  stages  of  their  own  and  how  to 
make  and  operate  puppets.  In  this  book,  children  who 
can  work  with  tools,  and  have  some  dramatic  instinct, 
will  find  instructions  which  will  enable  them  to  give  suc- 
cessful marionette  productions  at  home. 


CHAPTER  I 

Tony  Sarg,  Illustkator,  Cartoonist  and  Creator  op 

Marionettes 


Mr.  Sarg's  studio  and  workshop  in  New  York  is  in 
West  Ninth  Street.  A  fantastic  little  doorplate,  designed 
by  the  artist,  announces  that  it  is  the  home  of  Tony  Sarg's 
marionettes. 

The  ground  floor  of  the  house  is  a  combination  cabinet- 
maker's and  carpenter's  shop,  for  it  is  here  that  the  actual 
work  of  making  the  dolls,  scenery  and  "props"  is  done. 
Mr.  Sarg's  studio  is  a  large  front  room  on  the  second 
floor.  Here  sits  the  artist,  himself,  at  his  littered  drawing 
board,  while  the  second  floor  rear  is  devoted  to  the 
paraphernalia  of  the  marionettes. 

What  does  he  do  at  his  drawing  board?  A  variety  of 
things.  Sometimes  it  is  the  head  of  a  new  marionette 
which  he  is  modeling;   or  he  may  be  making  a  figure  for 


2      THE  TONY  SARG  MARIONETTE  BOOK 

one  of  the  animated  cartoons,  shown  in  "Tony  Sarg's 
Almanac/'  now  so  popular  in  the  movies;  again  it  is  a 
magazine  illustration,  or  newspaper  cartoon,  or  poster; 
and  sometimes  it  is  a  mechanical  drawing  of  a  new  inven- 
tion in  the  way  of  a  toy  or  marionette  trick. 

Tony  Sarg  is  a.  true  cosmopolitan.  He  was  born  in 
Guatemala;  was  educated  in  Germany;  lived  for  many 
years  in  England,  where  he  married  an  American  wife, 
and  came  finally  to  the  United  States,  which  is  now  his 
home.  In  the  winter  he  lives  in  New  Jersey  and  in  the 
summer  in  Nantucket,  where  he  has  bought  and  remodeled 
one  of  the  quaint  old  houses  for  which  the  island  is  famous. 

At  the  age  of  six,  the  little  boy,  Tony  Sarg,  was  drawing 
pictures  on  the  margins  of  his  copy  books  and  any  blank 
piece  of  paper  which  came  his  way.  The  aunt  and  uncle 
with  whom  he  lived  did  not  take  his  art  work  seriously, 
although  it  was  in  his  blood  to  draw,  his  grandmother 
having  been  an  artist  of  no  small  ability;  but  when  the 
lad  was  eighteen  years  old  and  his  drawings  were  so  much 
admired  that  he  was  engaged  to  illustrate  a  book  for 
children,  they  realized  that  he  had  created  a  profession 
for  himself.  Tony  Sarg  still  loves  to  draw,  better  than 
to  do  anything  else — unless  it  is  making  marionettes  or 
fishing!  His  little  daughter  has  inherited  his  ability  and 
is  already  making  vigorous  drawings,  with  a  touch  of  her 
father's  ever-present  humor. 

Tony  Sarg  has  never  had  a  teacher.  He  was  advised 
— wisely  in  his  case — to  avoid  the  art  schools,  lest  his 
remarkably  individual  drawings  might  lose  character 
through  academic  instruction.  His  drawings  have  a 
spontaneous  humor  which  is  delightful;  and  this  vein 
runs  through  all  of  his  marionette  productions.  The 
little  figures  and  animals  are  grotesquely  humorous.  No 
one  who  has  seen  one  of  Mr.  Sarg's  puppet  shows  could 
fail  to  recognize  this  quality  and  to  know,  as  well,  that 
their  creator  has  a  great  love  and  understanding  of 
children  and  the  four-footed  kindred. 

At  first  the  young  artist,  who  had  moved  to  London  to 
take  up  his  career  in  earnest,  had  a  hard  time  earning  his 


THE  TONY  SARG  MARIONETTE  BOOK      3 

living.  He  made  decorative  designs  and  sold  them  to 
commercial  houses,  eking  out  by  that  means  a  slender 
livelihood. 

"I  found  my  real  field,"  he  said,  "when  I  sold  my  first 
sketch  to  a  funny  paper.  My  stuff  caught  on  very  well 
and  I  was  soon  figuring  in  the  issues  of  nearly  all  the 
English  comic  papers. «  Finally  I  landed  a  job,  which  I 
kept  for  years,  as  theatrical  artist  of  'The  Sketch.'" 

One  day,  while  he  was  prowling  around  London, 
Mr.  Sarg  noticed  a  quaint  old  building,  which  was  believed 
to  be  the  original  "Old  Curiosity  Shop,"  made  famous  by 
Charles  Dickens.  It  was  in  Lincoln's' Inn  Field.  It  hap- 
pened that  the  artist  needed  a  studio  which  should  be  both 
commodious  and  inexpensive,  and  the  place  caught  his 
eye.  The  building  was  vacant  and  was  being  used  as  a 
storage  place  for  waste  paper.  He  was  able  to  lease  it  for 
£80  a  year. 

There  were  two  winding  staircases  in  the  "Old  Curiosity 
Shop,"  one  at  each  end  of  the  house,  and  Mr.  Sarg  divided 
the  top  floor  into  two  sections,  the  larger  to  be  used  as  a 
studio.     He  cut  skylights  through  the  roof  of  this  room. 

The  young  artist  was  delighted  over  getting  possession 
of  the  "Old  Curiosity  Shop"  and  at  once  set  about  to 
restore  it.  A  tenant,  who  kept  an  antique  shop,  occupied 
the  basement;  and  it  happily  occurred  to  him  to  furnish 
the  second  section  of  the  top  floor  as  "Little  Nell's  Bed- 
chamber." A  quaint  little  four-poster  bed  was  set  up,  old 
engravings  were  hung  on  the  walls,  some  curious  toys 
placed  in  the  corners — all  was  true  to  the  Dickens  period 
and  spirit. 

Tourists  came  to  see  the  "Old  Curiosity  Shop"  and  to 
buy  from  the  tenant  in  the  basement.  "Why  not  put 
out  a  sign,"  thought,  the  artist — 'Little  Nell's  bed- 
chamber on  the  second  floor,  sixpence  admission'?"  This 
was  done  and,  during  the  first  year,  paid  admissions  to 
"  Little  Nell's"  chamber  amounted  to  five  times  more  than 
the  rent  of  the  building. 


CHAPTER  II 
The  Toy  Collection  and  What  Came  of  It 

Tony  Sarg  had  long  been  collecting  toys.  All  his  spare 
money  went  for  toys  that  were  curious  or  quaint,  or  in- 
teresting for  one  reason  or  another.  Collecting  toys  is 
still  one  of  his  beloved  hobbies.  He  told  the  author  with 
glowing  eyes  that  his  collection,  he  believes,  is  now  larger 
than  that  at  the  Kensington  Museum  in  London. 

This  passion  for  collecting  toys  is  natural  enough,  for 
Tony  Sarg's  grandmother  also  collected  toys  and  be- 
queathed him  her  collection,  along  with  her  ability  with 
the  brush  and  pencil. 

Collecting,  in  turn,  led  Mr.  Sarg  to  read  all  the  books 
on  toys  which  he  could  find.  One  of  these  books,  by 
Dorothy  Neville,  laments  the  decay  of  the  marionette 
stage.  A  phrase  caught  and  fired  his  imagination, 
"Would  that  an  artist  and  enthusiast  would  revive  this 
ancient  art  of  the  theatre." 

"Why  should  I  not  be  that  artist?"  Tony  Sarg  asked 
himself.  In  his  toy  collection  he  had  many  ancient 
marionettes  from  various  countries,  and  he  proceeded  to 
study  them. 

The  great  library  of  the  British  museum  naturally 
occurred  to  hkn  as  a  source  of  information.  He  browsed 
in  it  eagerly,  but  to  his  surprise  he  found  very  little  about 
marionettes.  This  was  strange,  since  the  puppet  show 
has  played  an  important  part  in  the  history  of  the  drama 
from  its  earliest  development.     Such  books  as  he  found 

4 


THE  TONY  SARG  MARIONETTE  BOOK      5 

were  entirely  devoted  to  the  history  of  marionettes,  but 
there  was  not  a  work  in  existence  which  dealt  with  the  con- 
struction of  figures  and  the  methods  of  operating  them. 
For  practical  purposes,  the  books  in  the  British  museum 
were  of  little  help,  save  for  an  occasional  woodcut,  showing 
strings,  or  wires,  or  sticks,  used  in  manipulating  puppets. 

Thrown  entirely  upon  his  own  resources,  and  being 
naturally  of  an  inventive  and  mechanical  turn  of  mind, 
Mr.  Sarg  began  to  work  out  a  system  of  his  own,  by  which 
puppets  might  be  operated. 

Just  at  this  time  a  marionette  show  came  to  London 
and  played  at  a  vaudeville  theatre.  It  was  owned  by  a 
man  named  Holden,  who  came  of  a  family  of  puppet 
showmen.  Marionettes  had  been  the  means  of  livelihood 
of  this  family  for  generations,  and  they  had  handed  down 
from  father  to  son  the  secrets  of  their  almost  extinct  art. 
It  is  interesting,  in  this  connection,  to  know  that  a 
vaudeville  marionette  show  toured  America  recently, 
managed  by  Madam  Jewel,  who  is  a  niece  of  the  puppet 
showman,  Holden. 

It  is  characteristic  of  Tony  Sarg  that  he  gives  credit 
freely  for  everything  that  has  helped  him  in  his  career. 
"These  Holden  marionettes,"  he  says,  "were  mechani- 
cally the  best  I  had  ever  seen.  They  were  almost 
miraculous. 

"I  attended  more  than  fifty  performances,  studying 
them  carefully.  Finally  I  made  the  acquaintance  of 
Holden  himself,  but  I  was  never  given  the  chance  to  see 
how  his  dulls  were  manipulated.  The  whole  outfit  behind 
the  scenes  was  enclosed  in  a  huge  sheet  of  white  canvas, 
and  not  even  the  stage  hands  were  permitted  to  get  a 
glimpse  of  the  operations. 

"Nevertheless,  I  have  a  mechanical  eye,  and  by  watch- 
ing carefully  I  managed  to  guess  a  number  of  Holdcn's 
secrets.  The  most  important  was  that  the  middle  section 
of  the  body  of  every  marionette  was  hollow,  like  an  empty 
stocking,  which  enabled  the  doll  to  assume  a  natural 
sitting  position.  All  others  I  had  seen  were  made  of  solid 
wood.     The  stocking  body  made  it  possible  for  the  figures 


6      THE  TONY  SARG  MARIONETTE  BOOK 

to  walk  in  a  lifelike  manner,  also,  and  this  gave  them  a 
great  advantage  over  ordinary  puppets. 

"Although  the  Holden  marionettes  were  excellent  me- 
chanically, they  were  not  handled  by  an  artist.  Obviously, 
from  the  costumes  and  scenery  and  the  things  they  did, 
the  puppet  showman  was  an  uneducated  person.  I  could 
see  the  great  possibilities,  which  the  Holdens  were  com- 
pletely overlooking. 

"I  made  some  marionettes  with  hollow  bodies,  and 
began  to  experiment  with  them.  My  first  difficulty  was 
that  I  had  not  enough  fingers  to  hold  all  the  strings,  which 
moved  the  joints  of  the  manikins.  This  brought  about 
the  invention  of  a  rather  complicated  looking  apparatus, 
which  I  call  the  controller.  The  operator  holds  the  con- 
troller in  his  hands  and  it  enables  him  to  move  as  many 
as  twenty-two  strings  with  ease. 

"Thus  I  produced  a  marionette  which  could  make  all 
the  motions  of  the  human  body,  move  its  eyes  and  mouth, 
and  even  smile.  My  dolls  could  pick  up  articles  and  put 
them  down  again,  smoke  pipes,  blowing  the  smoke  out 
of  their  mouths,  even  play  musical  instruments  and  do 
very  good  dances." 

Tony  Sarg's  first  marionette  performance  took  place  in 
the  "  Old  Curiosity  Shop,"  where  a  group  of  London 
artists,  actors  and  newspaper  people,  were  delighted  with 
the  antics  of  the  dolls. 

At  this  performance,  one  of  the  numbers  on  the  pro- 
gramme was  an  Oriental  sketch — which  is  still  shown, 
although  with  much  larger  marionettes  than  the  original 
figures — called  "A  Night  in  Delhi."  In  this  little  play 
two  Hindu  snake  charmers  figured  with  an  active  and 
supple  serpent. 

Mr.  Sarg's  first  studio  in  New  York  was  on  the  top 
floor  of  the  Flatiron  Building,  in  a  triangular  room  with 
windows  east  and  west.  Here  he  erected  a  small  stage 
and  frequently  gave  marionette  entertainments  for  the 
pleasure  of  his  friends. 

At  this  time  Mr.  Sarg  became  acquainted  with  Charles 
E.  Searle,  to  whom  he  gives  a  generous  share  of  the  credit 


THE  TONY  SARG  MARIONETTE  BOOK      7 

for  the  present  vogue  of  his  marionettes.  Mr.  Searle  has 
been  an  architect,  an  illustrator,  and  a  cabinetmaker,  by 
turns — an  invaluable  equipment  for  a  maker  of  puppets. 
Several  of  the  ingenious  mechanical  devices,  which  make 
the  dolls  more  realistic,  were  invented  by  Mr.  Searle. 

Together  the  two  men  created  a  new  production,  which 
included  a  little  play  called  "The  Music  Lesson,"  in  which 
the  most  interesting  figure  was  a  singer,  whose  tiny  chest 
rose  and  fell  as  she  sang,  in  the  manner  of  the  real  'prima 
donna. 

Winthrop  Ames,  the  theatrical  producer,  who  had  be- 
come interested  in  the  revival  of  marionettes  in  Europe, 
proposed  to  bring  to  America  the  wonderful  marionettes 
of  Munich,  the  suggestion  having  come  originally  from 
Clayton  Hamilton,  who  was  also  fascinated  by  the  quaint 
magic  of  the  puppet  play.  Difficulties  caused  by  the  war 
prevented  this  plan  from  being  carried  out,  but  the  idea 
still  remained  in  the  mind  of  Mr.  Ames.  When  he  saw 
one  of  Mr.  Sarg's  studio  productions,  he  decided  to  bring 
out  the  Sarg  marionettes  in  a  New  York  theatre. 

"It  was  through  Mr.  Ames  that  I  was  able  to  produce 
my  first  professional  marionette  play  in  a  manner  de  luxe," 
says  Mr.  Sarg.  "It  was  so  'de  luxe,'"  he  added  whimsi- 
cally, "that  it  could  not  be  anything  but  a  financial  fail- 
ure, although  it  was  an  artistic  success.  Mr.  Ames  thought 
that  the  two-foot  dolls  I  had  been  using  were  not  big 
enough  for  the  Little  Theatre,  and  he  and  I  decided  that 
three  feet  would  be  ideal,  neither  of  us  having  any  idea 
what  increasing  the  dolls  a  foot  in  size  actually  meant. 
Every  additional  inch  caused  a  great  increase  in  cost 
and  working  expenses. 

"When  we  were  finally  ready  to  produce,  we  secured 
the  Neighborhood  Playhouse  instead  of  the  Little  Theatre. 
We  required  twenty-four  people  behind  the  scenes,  and 
two  forty-foot  trucks  to  move  our  stage  settings  and 
props.    All  this  gave  us  a  salary  list  in  four  figures. 

"The  reason  why  there  were  so  many  people  behind 
the  scenes,  was  that  we  supposed  it  necessary  to  secure 
both  professional  actors  to  speak  the  lines,  and  specially 


8      THE  TONY  SARG  MARIONETTE  BOOK 

trained  puppeteers  to  operate  the  marionettes.  Both 
actors  and  puppeteers  stood  on  bridges  twenty-two  feet 
long,  above  the  stage.  If  a  string  became  snarled  and 
the  action  delayed,  the  actors  had  to  improvise  dialogue 
to  fill  in  the  time. 

"Mr.  Ames  and  I  had  decided  upon  'The  Three 
Wishes/  a  fairy  play  by  Count  Pocci,  to  begin  our  pro- 
gramme. The  selection  of  suitable  plays  was  very  diffi- 
cult. We  considered  a  great  many  plays,  from  Maeter- 
linck's 'Death  of  Tintagiles'  to  'Midsummer  Night's 
Dream.'  In  the  end  Mr.  Ames  suggested  that  we  have 
our  own  plays  written  to  suit  the  accomplishments  and 
necessities  of  the  puppets.  He  gave  me  carte  blanche  and 
did  not  even  see  the  plays  until  we  were  ready  for  the 
performance." 

The  production  of  "The  Three  Wishes"  lasted  only 
twenty  minutes,  and  two  other  plays  were  needed  to  com- 
plete the  entertainment.  Mr.  Sarg  was  fortunate  in  en- 
listing the  aid  of  Mrs.  Hamilton  Williamson,  a  versatile 
writer,  and  explained  to  her  the  technique  of  the  puppet 
play  as  he  had  evolved  it.  He  wanted  plays  which  would 
introduce  characters,  each  of  whom  could  perform  some 
unusual  trick,  or  possessed  striking  individuality.  He 
also  wished  several  animals  to  be  included  in  the  plays, 
as  puppet  beasts  are  particularly  charming.  It  was  de- 
sirable to  feature  tricks  which  could  hardly  be  performed 
by  living  actors,  but  which  puppets,  with  their  more  than 
human  abilities,  could  do  very  well.  Fairies  were  needed, 
and  figures  which  might  be  transformed  by  clever  manipu- 
lation— a  fine  field  for  works  of  magic  and  enchantment. 

"Our  Doctor  Magicus,"  said  Mr.  Sarg,  "could  make 
thin  people  fat,  and  fat  people  thin;  short  people,  tall, 
and  tall  people,  short,  before  the  eyes  of  the  audience! 
You  could  see  the  clothes  tearing  to  shreds  as  one  little 
puppet,  crying  with  growing  pains,  became  a  giant  under 
the  spells  of  Doctor  Magicus. 

"Mrs.  Williamson  wrote  'The  Green  Suit'  for  us  and 
'The  Stolen  Beauty  and  the  Great  Jewel,'  both  charming 
little  plays  admirably  suited  to  our  marionettes.    It  hap- 


THE  TONY  SARG  MARIONETTE  BOOK      9 

pened  that  one  of  the  actresses  owned  a  tiny  monkey,  and  it 
occurred  to  me  to  utilize  it  in  one  of  our  plays.  I  introduced 
a  puppet  organ  grinder,  who  appeared  with  the  monkey  on 
the  stage.  The  audience  supposed  the  little  creature  to  be 
a  marvelously  clever  puppet.  I  have  a  number  of  letters 
congratulating  me  upon  this  supposed  marionette." 

Despite  the  flood  of  complimentary  press  notices  and 
the  delight  of  the  audiences,  the  great  expense  of  the 
marionette  production,  which  moved  from  the  Neighbor- 
hood Playhouse  to  the  Norworth  Theatre  and  then  to  the 
Punch  and  Judy  Theatre,  made  financial  success  impos- 
sible, and  also  prevented  Mr.  Sarg  from  sending  the 
troupe  on  the  road.  The  three-foot  dolls  were  much  too 
large  for  practical  purposes,  besides,  and  the  flock  of 
actors  and  "puppeteers"  behind  the  scenes  were  always 
getting  in  one  another's  way. 

Mr.  Sarg,  after  this  experiment,  decided  upon  eighteen 
inches  as  the  ideal  height  for  puppets.  He  believed  that 
the  show  would  be  more  effective  on  a  smaller  scale.  It 
occurred  to  him,  also,  that  if  the  puppeteers  could  both 
manipulate  the  strings  and  speak  the  lines,  the  number 
of  people  behind  the  scenes  could  be  reduced  by  half.  It 
was  found  that  this  was  entirely  practical. 

Thackeray's  fairy  tale,  "The  Rose  and  the  Ring,"  had- 
been  suggested  as  suitable  for  puppets,  with  some  adap- 
tation. Mr.  Sarg  planned  an  outline  of  scenes  and  inci- 
dents, which  he  gave  to  Miss  Hetty  Louise  Mick,  as  the 
basis  of  her  dramatization  of  the  tale.  Miss  Mick's  ver- 
sion of  "The  Rose  and  the  Ring"  is  a  delightful  puppet 
play.  Several  interesting  transformations  are  included — 
the  porter  is  magically  changed  into  a  door  knob,  and 
the  ugly  dowager  becomes  a  fresh  young  beauty.  All  of 
these  transformations,  done  while  one  watches,  are  obvi- 
ously beyond  the  capabilities  of  the  living  actor. 

"Rip  Van  Winkle,"  dramatized  for  puppets  by  George 
Mitchell,  was  the  successor  to  "The  Rose  and  the  Ring." 
The  dolls  for  this  play  are  two  feet  in  height,  and  this  size 
has  proved  so  successful  that  Mr.  Sarg  proposes  to  stick 
to  two-foot  marionettes  in  future. 


CHAPTER  III 
Some  Marionette  Miracles  and  How  They  Are  Done 


Certain  feats  performed  by  Tony  Sarg's  marionettes 
are  always  astonishing  and  perplexing  to  those  who  have 
seen  his  productions.  For  this  little  book  Mr.  Sarg  has 
consented  to  reveal  the  ways  in  which  a  number  of  his 
"miracles"  are  performed. 

Perhaps  the  greatest  surprise  of  all  occurs  when  the 
audience  at  the  puppet  show  sees  the  showman  appear 
on  the  stage  among  his  marionettes.  A  curious  illusion  is 
created — the  showman  appears  gigantic,  a  Colossus,  while 
the  dolls  seem  the  size  of  ordinary  human  beings.  One 
would  expect  that  the  appearance  of  the  human  figure 
among  the  manikins  would  dwarf  them  instantly,  but 
the  contrary  is  true. 

This  optical  illusion  was  at  first  as  much  of  a  surprise 
to  Mr.  Sarg  as  it  was  to  the  audience.  During  the  prepa- 
ration of  the  production,  he  was  continually  busy  with 
the  dolls  and  was  never  far  enough  away  from  them  to 
get  the  full  force  of  the  strange  effect. 

At  the  close  of  the  first  public  performance,  which  was 
at  the  Neighborhood  Playhouse,  the  enthusiastic  audience 
called  for  Tony  Sarg,  and  the  artist  decided,  on  the  spur 
of  the  moment,  to  walk  on  to  the  stage — although  the 
proscenium  arch  was  only  six  feet  high — leading  little 
Greta,  a  charming  marionette  who  belonged  to  the  cast 
of  "The  Green  Suit."  Both  Greta  and  Mr.  Sarg  bowed 
to  the  audience,  while  a  murmur  of  astonishment  rose 
from   the   house.    Then   the   applause   broke  out  and 

10 


THE  TONY  SARG  MARIONETTE  BOOK    11 

Mr.  Sarg's  friends,  hurrying  back  stage,  reported  to  him 
the  curious  illusion.  He  seemed  twelve  feet  high,  they 
told  him,  and  looked  as  though  he  weighed  five  hundred 
pounds. 

The  explanation  is  simple  enough — the  dolls  are  per- 
fectly proportioned  and  all  the  scenery  and  properties 
made  to  scale.  The  audience,  who  have  been  looking  at 
the  marionettes  for  some  time,  with  nothing  by  which 
the  eye  can  gauge  relative  height,  visually  accepts  the 
figures  as  life-size.  Then,  the  introduction  of  the  living 
person  among  the  manikins,  causes  the  man  to  appear 
out  of  scale,  and  not  the  dolls. 

When  he  became  aware  of  this  curious  illusion,  Mr. 
Sarg  at  once  added  it  to  his  bag  of  tricks;  and  Mr.  Searle, 
who  now  travels  with  the  show,  always  comes  out  on  the 
stage  with  the  dolls  at  the  close  of  the  performance,  and 
is  always  rewarded  by  gasps  of  astonishment  and  rousing 
applause. 

One  sultry  evening,  a  gentleman  returning  from  a  per- 
formance of  "The  Rose  and  the  Ring,"  in  which  a  lion 
takes  part,  was  heard  to  remark  to  his  wife,  "That  fellow 
inside  the  lion's  skin  must  have  been  warm  enough!"  He 
was  still  under  the  illusion  of  the  play,  and  for  the  moment 
did  not  remember  that  the  lion  he  had  just  been  watching 
was  not  a  man  in  a  lion's  skin,  as  is  usual  on  the  stage, 
but  only  a  tiny  marionette. 

In  the  play  of  "Rip  Van  Winkle,"  Nick  Vedder,  the 
innkeeper,  sits  smoking  a  long  pipe — a  trick  which  has 
perplexed  many  people.  Here  is  Mr.  Sarg's  explanation 
of  the  way  in  which  this  feat  is  performed. 

A  rubber  tube  runs  through  the  body  of  Vedder  and 
emerges  at  the  middle  of  his  back.  Another  tube  goes 
through  one  of  the  legs  of  the  chair  in  which  he  sits,  and 
runs  back  stage.  The  arrangement  is  such  that,  when  he 
is  seated,  the  tube  in  his  back  is  connected  with  the  tube 
in  the  chair;  and  when  he  rises,  he  disconnects  himself. 
Directly  back  of  Vedder,  and  behind  the  back-drop,  Btands 
one  of  the  puppeteers  with  a  lighted  cigarette.    Through 


12    THE  TONY  SARG  MARIONETTE  BOOK 

a  tiny  hole  in  the  curtain,  the  operator  watches  the  motions 
of  Vedder,  and,  when  he  puts  his  pipe  into  his  mouth, 
blows  a  puff  of  smoke  through  the  tube.    It  is  forced  out 


of  the  bowl  of  Vedder's  pipe.  The  operator  puffs  regularly 
and  so  does  the  puppet.  Finally,  the  doll  arises  and  walks 
off,  without  showing  the  tube,  and  the  audience  is  com- 
pletely mystified. 


In  "The  Green  Suit,"  a  fat  puppet,  bewitched  by  Doc- 
tor Magicus,  shrinks  to  alarming  thinness.    Afterwards  he 


THE  TONY  SARG  MARIONETTE  BOOK     13 

is  restored  to  his  original  rotundity.  These  transforma- 
tions occur  before  the  eyes  of  the  audience. 

The  way  the  "miracle"  is  performed  is  this:  Inside  the 
fat  doll  is  a  rubber  ball,  something  like  the  bladder  inside 
a  college  football.  This  is  inflated,  when  the  character  is 
fat;  and  to  make  him  thin,  all  that  is  necessary  is  to  let 
the  air  out  of  the  bladder,  which  is  done  by  means  of  a 
rubber  tube,  connected  back  stage,  much  as  Vedder's 
smoking  device  was  connected. 

Originally,  a  toy  balloon  was  used,  but  it  proved  too 
frail  for  the  purpose.  One  day  an  amusing  catastrophe 
happened.  The  puppeteer  behind  the  scenes,  a  young 
girl,  was  blowing  vigorously  into  the  tube  connected  with 
the  balloon  in  order  to  inflate  the  puppet — but  she  blew 
too  hard,  the  balloon  burst,  and  the  doll  instantly  col- 
lapsed. The  actor,  who  was  speaking  the  part,  saved  the 
day,  however,  by  his  quick  wit,  improvising  new  lines  to 
fit  the  situation. 


One  of  the  most  ingenious  of  all  Tony  Sarg's  marionette 
transformations  is  that  of  Porter  Gruffanuff  in  "The 
Rose  and  the  Ring,"  who  is  turned  into  a  door  knocker  by 
the' fairy  whom  he  has  insulted. 

The  figure  of  Gruffanuff  is  fitted  with  thirty-six  dif- 
ferent strings.  There  is  one  complete  set  on  top;  and 
another  set,  which  works  from  the  back-drop  and  brings 
about  the  transformation. 

The  body  of  the  porter  is  hollow  and  so  are  his  legs. 
As  long  as  he  stands  upright,  he  seems  like  the  other 
marionettes,  but  when  the  moment  arrives  for  the  trans- 
formation, the  strings  which  are  attached  to  the  door, 
being  pulled  in  succession,  drag  the  body  through  a  small 
opening.  This  opening  is  placed  where  a  knocker  should 
be  on  the  palace  door,  which  forms  the  back-drop. 
GrufTanuff  shrieks  with  pain,  as  his  body  is  contracted 
and  pulled  through  the  tiny  hole,  leaving  his  ugly  head 
to  serve  as  a  knocker. 

At  the  close  of  the  play,  the  fairy  brings  Gruffanuff 


14    THE  TONY  SARG  MARIONETTE  BOOK 

back  to  life,  the  upper  set  of  strings  drawing  him  out  of 
the  door  again. 

The  transformation  of  the  Countess  Gruffanuff,  in  the 
same  play,  from  a  hideous  dowager  to  a  beautiful  young 
girl,  and  back  again,  is  managed  in  an  entirely  different 
way. 

This  puppet's  face  is  an  extremely  ugly  mask,  which 
covers  a  beautifully  modeled  head,  and  is  attached  to  it 
at  the  chin.  The  lining  of  the  ugly  mask  is  made  to  repre- 
sent a  pompadoured  coiffure. 


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THC    (AJ*r   MAtft. 

rue  /ma«    •? 
wHt-re  «*>*    »"» 


At  the  moment  of  the  transformation,  the  lights  flicker 
for  a  second,  the  mask  is  quickly  pulled  up  and  turned 
inside  out  by  means  of  the  strings,  revealing  the  beautiful 
face,  framed  in  becoming  pompadoured  hair,  which  is 
the  lining  of  the  mask. 

No  one  has  yet  been  able  to  guess  the  method  by  which 
this  transformation  was  accomplished. 

While  marionettes  can  perform  many  feats  impossible 
to  the  human  actor,  some  of  the  simplest  acts  of  the  living 


THE  TONY  SARG  MARIONETTE  BOOK     15 

being  are  extremely  difficult  for  them.  For  instance,  it 
is  only  by  the  greatest  ingenuity  on  the  part  of  their 
creator  that  Tony  Sarg's  dolls  are  able  to  pick  up 
objects  and  put  them  down  again — a  feat  which,  for 
obvious  reasons,  used  to  be  considered  impossible  for 
marionettes. 

"Prince  Bulbo,"  in  Thackeray's  "The  Rose  and  the 
Ring,"  drops  the  magic  rose,  stoops  down  and  picks  it  up 
again — not  a  sensational  puppet  "miracle"  to  those  who 
do  not  understand  marionettes,  but  astonishing  to  those 
who  do  know  the  difficulties. 


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TO  CJIUC    wf/««r, 


It  is  done  as  follows:  In  Bulbo's  hand  is  a  loop  of  wire, 
through  which  runs  a  string  which  is  attached  to  the  magic 
rose,  and  holds  up  Bulbo's  hand.  An  additional  string  is 
fastened  to  his  wrist.  The  rose  is  weighted  with  lead, 
and  when  Bulbo  is  ready  to  drop  it,  the  string  which  holds 
the  rose  and  holds  up  his  hand,  is  released;  the  hand 
falls  and  the  rose  drops  to  the  floor,  still  attached  to  the 
string.  Bulbo  kneels,  and  touches  the  rose  by  means  of 
the  wrist-string,   whereupon   the  puppeteer  releases  the 


16    THE  TONY  SARG  MARIONETTE  BOOK 

wrist-string,  pulls  the  rose-string,  and  Bulbo  rises  trium- 
phantly with  the  blossom  in  his  hand. 

One  of  the  amusing  moments  in  "The  Three  Wishes" 
occurs  when  Margaret  finds  the  string  of  sausages,  for 
which  she  had  wished,  attached  to  her  nose.  The  sausages 
are  concealed  in  the  pocket  of  Margaret's  apron  until 
the  moment  for  the  catastrophe.  A  string  runs  from  the 
sausages  through  one  of  her  nostrils,  to  the  operator,  who 
pulls  it,  and  presto!  the  sausages  are  attached  to  the 
unfortunate  woman's  nose  in  a  twinkling. 


CHAPTER  IV 
Puppet  Play  in  History1 

The  ancient  art  of  puppet  play  stretches  back  to  the 
remote  shadow-land  of  the  past.  Marionettes  were  known 
to  ancient  Greece  and  Rome;  they  flourished  in  ancient 
China,  Japan,  Siam,  and  throughout  the  East,  where 
puppet  play  and  shadow  play  exist  at  the  present  time; 
they  furnished  in  Europe  during  the  Middle  Ages  a  great 
source  of  entertainment  to  the  masses,  nor  were  they 
relegated  to  the  realms  of  comedy  alone.  Even  among 
the  American  Indians,  articulated  dolls  were  used  during 
ceremonial  dances.  Puppet  play  has,  in  its  time,  invaded 
virtually  all  civilized  countries  and  every  field  of  dramatic 
art,  from  the  mystery  and  miracle  plays  given  under  the 
auspices  of  the  church,  to  comedy,  tragedy  and  political 
drama. 

Perhaps  no  other  stage  has  so  clearly  reflected  the  spirit 
of  its  time  in  parodies,  satires,  and  daring  farces;  and 
with  it  must  be  associated  many  great  names  of  those 
who  have  fallen  under  the  fascination  of  its  quaint  magic — 


■Thin  chapter  is  an  adaptation  of  part  of  a  paper  entitled  "Tho 
Renaissance  of  the  Puppet  I'lay,"  written  by  Anne  Stoddard  and 
printed  in  "The  Century"  for  June,  1918.  This  material  is  used 
by  permission  of  The  Century  Co. 

17 


18    THE  TONY  SARG  MARIONETTE  BOOK 

Goethe,  Haydn,  George  Sand,  Ben  Jonson,  Swift,  Maurice 
Maeterlinck,  and  many  others. 

In  Italy,  which,  speaking  inexactly,  may  be  called  the 
birthplace  of  the  marionette  stage,  improvised  dramas, 
vast  and  legendary,  sprang  up  around  the  character  and 
exploits  of  certain  comic  heroes,  who  trace  their  lineage 
back  to  the  burlesque  actors  of  ancient  Rome.  These 
heroes  of  the  character  comedy  appear  to  have  been  bor- 
rowed from  the  regular  stage  for  the  puppet  show.  Some 
of  them  we  still  have  with  us — Punch,  known  in  Italy  as 
Pulcinella;  Harlequin,  known  as  Arlecchino;  Scara- 
mouche,  known  as  Scaramuccio.  There  were,  besides,  a 
score  of  other  characters,  with  whom  we  are  not  so  well 
acquainted. 

Pulcinella,  or  Punch,  it  is  believed,  grew  out  of  the  per- 
sonality of  the  Roman  clown,  Maccus,  of  whom  a  portrait- 
bronze  has  been  unearthed  which  strongly  resembles 
Judy's  irascible  husband,  hooked  nose,  nut-cracker  chin, 
and  all! 

Harlequin,  too,  is  another  of  these  aristocrats  of  the 
stage.  His  family  tree  is  also  proudly  ancient,  and  from 
his  costume,  a  parti-colored  garment,  small  hat,  soleless 
shoes,  and  black  mask,  it  is  evident  that  he  is  descended 
from  the  comic  actors  of  Rome,  who  wore  a  similar  habit. 

These  legendary  characters  still  figure  in  puppet  play  in 
Italy,  and  wherever  Italians  congregate.  The  Italian 
cities  have  their  favorite  puppet  heroes — Pulcinella  and 
Scaramuccio  are  Neapolitan,  Arlecchino  is  of  the  Bergamo 
Valley,  and  so  on.  The  Sicilian  plays  are  almost  invari- 
ably founded  upon  the  same  theme,  Ariosto's  "Orlando 
Furioso." 

The  "Orlando  Furioso"  is  an  endless  representation  of 
the  adventures  of  the  knightly  champions  of  Charlemagne, 
and  "Orlando"  himself  is  identical  with  Roland,  mightiest 
of  the  Paladins.  The  play  is  continued  from  night  to 
night,  and  followed  by  ite  patrons  with  intense  interest, 
although  they  know  its  incidents  by  heart.  The  dolls 
used  in  the  traditional  marionette  plays  are  gaudily 
dressed  figures,  sometimes  five  feet  in  height  and  very 


THE  TONY  SARG  MARIONETTE  BOOK    19 

4 

heavy;  some  of  them,  according  to  one  of  the  operators, 
weighing  as  much  as  a  hundred  pounds.  He  adds  that 
the  weight  of  the  marionettes  necessitates  frequent  re- 
pairs to  the  floor  boards  of  the  stage.  These  dolls  are 
primitive  in  construction  and  are  usually  controlled  by 
four  or  five  wires. 

But  let  us  return  to  the  fascinating  Mr.  Punch!  Ac- 
cording to  some  authorities,  this  descendant  of  the  re- 
nowned Maccus  came  alive  in  Italy  about  the  year  1600, 
and  was  carried  to  England,  where  a  permanent  theatre 
was  established  after  the  Revolution  of  1688,  for  the  pur- 
pose of  presenting  the  plays  which  had  grown  up  around 
his  anything-but-praiseworthy  character.  Judy,  a  wife 
for  Punch,  was  introduced;  also  a  child,  and  a  devil,  and 
so  the  naughty  fellow  was  well  started  on  his  long  career 
of  crime. 

But  the  Punch  of  the  Middle  Ages  was  not  restricted  to 
the  Punch  and  Judy  show,  as  we  know  it  to-day.  He 
played  many  roles  in  many  forms  of  drama,  and  frequently 
figured  in  religious  plays  and  political  satires.  But  always 
Punch  is  a  very  prince  of  villains,  beating  Judy,  his  wife, 
with  a  cudgel,  belaboring  the  child,  or  Diavolo,  or  the 
unfortunate  policeman. 

France,  Germany,  Spain,  even  Turkey,  have  each  their 
own  Punch,  as  well  as  Italy  and  England.  He  is  known 
under  many  names — Pulcinella,  Polichinelle,  Guignol, 
Hans-Wurst,  Don  Christoval  Polichinelo,  and  Kardgoz 
(Black  Eye,  who  is  Turkish) — but,  find  him  where  you 
will,  he  is  the  same  naughty  rogue  the  world  over. 

Carried  from  Italy,  a  puppet  epidemic  spread  through 
Europe  of  the  Middle  Ages.  Very  early  in  the  history  of 
the  church  marionettes  were  permitted  to  perform  sacred 
dramas,  legends  of  the  saints  and  miracles  of  faith.  The 
word  "marionette"  is  probably  of  churchly  origin,  dating 
from  the  lime  when  the  Venetians  called  the  wooden  dolls 
in  the  religious  processions  "mariettes,"  or  little  Mary's. 

In  1575 — July  14  to  be  exact — the  Lord  Mayor  of 
London  wrote  a  letter,  authorizing  "Italian  marionettes 
to  settle  in  the  city  and  to  carry  on  their  strange  motions 


20    THE  TONY  SARG  MARIONETTE  BOOK 

["motion"  was  the  mediaeval  term  for  marionette  pro- 
duction] as  in  the  past  and  from  time  immemorial." 

From  the  early  years  of  the  seventeenth  century  wan- 
dering puppet  showmen  carried  their  light  stages  from 
one  English  parish  to  another,  performing  plays  of  Bibli- 
cal origin  and  deeds  of  the  saints,  varied  occasionally  by 
a  display  of  hobby-horses  or  the  bold  forays  of  the  beloved 
outlaw,  Robin  Hood.  These  traveling  showmen  carried 
instruction  and  entertainment  to  rural  communities,  much 
as  a  theatrical  production  of  to-day,  on  the  road,  brings 
its  bit  of  Broadway  to  Oshkosh,  Wisconsin,  or  Chicopee, 
Massachusetts. 

In  the  year  1642,  the  quarrel  which  had  grown  up 
between  the  Puritans  and  the  stage,  resulted  in  the  closing 
of  all  theatres  in  England  save  those  devoted  to  marion- 
ette productions.  This  was  the  opportunity  of  the  puppet- 
showmen,  who  flocked  to  England  from  France  and  Italy. 
The  whole  repertory  of  the  great  theatres  in  every  field 
of  drama  was  at  their  disposal,  and  many  of  the  notable 
writers  of  the  time  composed  plays  for  the  little  wooden 
actors. 

A  play  bill,  dating  from  the  reign  of  Queen  Anne,  calls 
attention  to  a  play  produced  by  marionettes  which  had  a 
tremendous  vogue,  staged  "with  great  pomp  of  costumes 
and  decorations,  called  'The  Universal  Deluge,'  in  five 
acts,  with  a  scene  showing  the  entrance  of  Noah  and  his 
family  into  the  Ark,  accompanied  by  all  the  animals,  two 
and  two,  a  drama  of  the  young  Mr.  Powell." 

This  "young  Mr.  Powell"  installed  his  marionettes 
opposite  the  Cathedral  of  St.  Paul,  and  they  proved  so 
attractive  that  the  worshipers  turned  in  at  the  puppet 
show  instead  of  going  to  church,  to  the  great  annoyance 
of  the  clergy.  Indeed,  the  young  Mr.  Powell  soon  became 
so  impudent  with  success  that  he  timed  his  performance 
for  the  same  hour  as  the  sermon,  and  availed  himself  of 
the  church  bell  as  a  summons  to  his  entertainment. 

In  France  the  marionettes,  which  first  appeared  in  re- 
ligious drama,  were  driven  from  the  church  about  the 
middle  of  the  seventeenth  century.    They  soon  reappeared 


THE  TONY  SARG  MARIONETTE  BOOK    21 

in  secular  drama,  however,  and  we  read  that  during  the 
reign  of  Louis  XIV,  the  versatile  Jean  Brioche,  who  was 
the  founder  of  a  long  line  of  puppet  showmen,  set  up  his 
booth  on  the  Pont  Neuf ,  where  he  gave  marionette  enter- 
tainments and  extracted  teeth  between  performances. 

Puppet  play  in  France  has  had  an  exceedingly  rich  de- 
velopment, and  many  great  writers  have  delighted  in  it. 
Much  has  been  written  about  George  Sand's  marionette 
plays  at  Nohaht ;  and  Voltaire,  too,  used  to  bring  compa- 
nies of  puppet  players  to  his  house  at  Cirey  where,  in  all 
probability,  his  own  satirical  lines  were  first  spoken  as 
dialogue  for  manikins. 

In  Paris  to-day,  in  the  gardens  of  the  Tuileries  and  the 
Luxembourg,  and  in  the  Champs-Elysees,  where  children 
congregate,  little  ones  and  their  nurses  may  be  seen  en- 
joying the  antics  of  Guignol,  who  is  no  other  than  our  old 
friend  Mr.  Punch,  masquerading  under  one  of  his  many 
aliases. 

In  Germany  the  puppets  profited  vastly  by  the  dis- 
agreements between  the  clergy  and  the  stage.  Beginning 
with  the  year  1680,  productions  by  living  actors  were 
suppressed  for  a  period  of  ten  years.  Always  ready  to 
profit  by  an  ill  wind  for  the  regular  theatre,  the  puppet 
managers  soon  took  possession  of  the  playhouses,  as  they 
did  in  England,  and  the  people  speedily  followed.  The 
actors,  out  of  employment,  were  obliged  to  enter  the  serv- 
ice of  the  puppet  showmen,  speaking  the  lines  to  accom- 
pany the  parts  acted  by  the  dolls. 

Goethe  acknowledges  his  indebtedness  to  the  marion- 
ette stage,  from  which  he  derived  the  original  idea  of 
"Faust."  As  a  child,  Goethe  played  with  a  little  puppet 
stage  given  him  by  his  grandmother  on  a  Christmas  eve, 
and  at  the  age  of  twenty  he  wrote  a  comedy  for  marionettes 
called  "  Festivals  of  the  Fair  of  Plundersweilern." 

Joseph  Haydn  composed  expressly  for  puppets — I  quote 
from  Ferrigni's  "History   of  Puppets"1 — "some  of  the 

'The  author  wishes  to  acknowledge  her  indebtedneas  for  historical 
material  specially  to  "A  History  of  Puppets,"  by"Yorick."  (P. 
FcfligDi),  published  in  "The  Mask,"  Vol.  V. 


22    THE  TONY  SARG  MARIONETTE  BOOK 

brightest  and  most  graceful  little  plays  in  the  world.  One 
of  the  first  was  his  'Toy  Symphony,'  in  which  all  of  the 
musicians  abandon  the  orchestra,  one  at  a  time,  and  put 
out  the  light,  until  only  a  violin  is  left  to  scrape  the  last 
note.  Then  there  was  'The  Children's  Fair,'  another 
symphony  for  a  full  orchestra,  the  orchestra  consisting  of 
only  such  instruments  as  are  given  to  children  as  play- 
things— small  drums,  whistles,  tiny  trumpets,  jew's-harps, 
rattles,  cymbals,  bells,  and  so  forth." 

In  Munich  there  is  a  municipal  theatre,  built  for  chil- 
dren, the  actors  on  whose  stage  are  wooden  dolls.  This 
exquisite  little  edifice,  which  stands  in  one  of  the  park 
spaces,  is  rich  in  scenery  and  furnished  with  nearly  a 
thousand  puppets.  It  was  here  that  "Papa"  Schmidt, 
beloved  of  the  children,  exercised  his  quaint  and  difficult 
art. 

And  this  brings  us  to  the  "artistic  marionettes"  of  the 
present  day,  so  called  in  order  to  distinguish  them  from 
the  old  order.  Most  people  are  aware  that  there  has  been 
a  revival  of  this  ancient  art,  a  revival  which  has  spread 
throughout  Europe  and  America.  The  most  notable 
creators  of  the  new  "artistic  marionettes"  are  Paul 
Brann,  in  Munich,  Gordon  Craig,  in  Florence,  and  Tony 
Sarg,  in  New  York. 

It  was  from  Herr  Schmidt  that  Paul  Brann,  director  of 
the  celebrated  Munich  theatre  of  marionettes,  received 
his  first  instruction.  At  Herr  Brann's  playhouse,  elabo* 
rate  though  small,  and  equipped  with  a  revolving  stage, 
tragedies  of  Maeterlinck,  comedies  by  Arthur  Schnitzler, 
and  mediaeval  folk-plays  of  Hans  Sachs,  have  been  most 
artistically  presented. 

Gordon  Craig,  in  Florence,  has  attempted  to  supplant 
the  living  actor  by  the  puppet,  believing  that  all  things 
possible  to  dramatic  art  are  within  the  range  of  his 
marionettes. 

Tony  Sarg,  in  America,  on  the  other  hand,  availing 
himself  of  the  decorative  quality  of  the  new  stagecraft, 
as  well  as  the  fantastic  atmosphere  created  by  the  pup- 
pets, and  their  own  grotesque  charm  and  humor,  has  kept 


THE  TONY  SARG  MARIONETTE  BOOK    23 

his  marionettes — where  one  may  perhaps  be  forgiven 
for  feeling  that  marionettes  belong — in  the  realm  of  Make 
Believe. 

The  revival  of  puppet  play  has  spread  to  several  cities 
of  the  United  States,  where  groups  of  artists  are  making 
marionettes  and  producing  plays  acted  by  manikins.  The 
most  notable  work  in  America,  until  the  advent  of  Tony 
Sarg,  has  probably  been  done  in  Chicago  under  the  direct- 
orship of  Maurice  Browne  and  his  wife,  Ellen  Van  Volken- 
burg. 


CHAPTER  V 


Home-Made  Marionettes  and  Stagecraft 

Perhaps  the  simplest  of  all  marionette  stages  was  that 
used  by  George  Sand,  the  great  French  novelist,  for  the 
entertainments  given  by  herself  and  her  son  Maurice,  at 
Nohant.  This  was  a  large  armchair,  turned  with  its  back 
to  the  audience,  a  cardboard  frame  arranged  in  front  of 
it,  with  a  curtain  to  be  rolled  up  and  down.  The  operator 
knelt  in  the  seat  of  the  chair,  the  stage  opening  being 
above  his  head,  and  the  puppets,  which  consisted  merely 
of  empty  dresses  hung  upon  carved  wooden  heads,  were 
placed  upon  his  hands. 

A  stage,  somewhat  similar  to  that  used  by  George  Sand, 
but  arranged  for  a  different  type  of  puppets,  may  be 
made  in  the  following  manner.  An  armchair  is  placed 
with  its  back  to  the  audience,  and  the  operator,  kneeling 
on  the  chair,  manipulates  the  dolls  on  the  floor,  by 
means  of  strings.  A  high  screen  is  placed  around  the 
chair,  concealing  it  and  the  operator.  A  space  is  cut  in 
the  lower  part  of  the  screen  for  a  stage  opening,  twice  the 
height  of  the  dolls  which  are  to  be  used,  leaving  the  floor 
as  practically  the  bottom  of  the  cut-out  space.  A  plain 
cloth  should  be  dropped  over  the  back  of  the  chair  to 
form  a  background  for  the  marionettes. 

Punch  and  Judy,  almost  literally  as  old  as  the  hills, 
belong  to  the  same  type  of  puppets  as  the  marionettes  of 
Madame  Sand.  They  are  usually  empty  and  flexible 
figures,  animated  by  the  thumb  and  two  fingers  of  the 

24 


THE  TONY  SARG   MARIONETTE  BOOK    25 

performer,  who  exhibits  them  by  holding  both  hands 
above  his  head. 

Puppets  operated  from  below  by  means  of  rods,  or  by 
the  legs  of  the  doll  itself,  comprise  another  distinct  class 
of  marionettes. 


The  true  marionettes,  however,  are  of  a  third  type, 
those  manipulated  from  above  by  means  of  wires,  or 
strings,  which  give  life  and  motion  to  the  figures  as  they 
are  handled  by  the  operator,  or  puppeteer.  The  marion- 
ettes of  Tony  Sarg,  and  virtually  all  modern  puppets, 
belong  to  this  latter  class. 

In  their  essence,  the  methods  by  which  marionettes  are 
operated  to-day  are  the  same  as  those  employed  in  the 
Middle  Arcs,  although  modern  puppets  have  been  greatly 
elaborated  and  improved.  Primitive  dolls,  still  used  in 
Italy,  and  wherever  Italians  congregate,  for  presenting 
the  traditional  dramas,  are  clumsy  affairs  of  wood,  manij>- 
ulated  by  wires,  with  none  of  the  flexibility,  or  accom- 


26    THE  TONY  SARG  MARIONETTE  BOOK 

plishments,  of  the  modern  marionette.  Some  of  these 
figures  are  five  feet  in  height  and  very  heavy. 

Any  boy,  or  girl,  who  can  use  tools,  and  possesses  in- 
genuity and  a  certain  amount  of  dramatic  instinct,  can 
make  his,  or  her,  own  marionettes  at  home,  build  a  stage, 
and  devise  stage-settings.  There  is  a  great  fascination 
about  making  puppets.  Create  a  single  manikin,  make 
him  walk  and  talk — and  you  will  fall  under  the  quaint  and 
compelling  spell  of  the  puppet  play. 

There  is  so  much  that  one  can  do  with  puppets,  so  many 
difficulties  to  overcome,  so  many  delightful  effects  to  be 
worked  out  and  experiments  to  be  tried,  that  the  young 
puppeteer  need  never  again  be  at  a  loss  for  entertainment. 
He  may  work  on  one  doll  for  an  hour,  or  a  week,  as  may 
please  his  fancy;  he  may  design  and  build  his  stage,  ex- 
perimenting with  it  in  any  number  of  ways;  he  may  make 
his  staging  as  simple,  or  as  elaborate,  as  he  pleases;  he 
may  write  his  own  plays,  if  he  so  wishes!  And  the  matter 
of  making  and  designing  costumes  offers  a  wide  field  for 
originality,  skill  and  artistic  instinct.  The  nimble  ringers 
of  little  sisters  or  girl-friends  will  be  needed  for  puppet 
dressmaking,  as  well  as  gay  scraps  of  silk  and  cotton  from 
the  family  work  bag. 

It  is  well  to  begin  simply  and  to  work  out  more  compli- 
cated effects  and  tricks,  as  one  becomes  proficient  in 
making  and  handling  the  dolls.  The  "miracles,"  de- 
scribed in  another  chapter,  require  skill  on  the  part  of 
the  puppeteer  as  well  as  their  creator,  and  should  not  be 
attempted  by  the  beginner. 

Mr.  Sarg's  little  daughter  has  become  expert  in  devising 
and  handling  her  own  marionettes,  and  enjoys  them 
almost  as  much  as  her  father  does.  For  the  benefit  of 
other  children,  who  wish  to  make  marionettes  at  home, 
Mr.  Sarg  has  passed  along  to  the  author  the  suggestions 
which  he  gave  to  his  own  young  puppet-enthusiast  to 
help  her  in  making  her  dolls  and  constructing  a  stage  for 
her  entertainments.    These  suggestions  follow: 

First  of  all,  one  must  have  a  box,  such  as  can  be  secured 


THE  TONY  SARG  MARIONETTE  BOOK    27 

at  the  grocery  store,  to  serve  as  a  stage.  This  box  should 
be  about  three  feet  long,  by  a  foot  and  a  half  in  width, 
and  any  depth  it  may  happen  to  be. 

Set  the  box  upon  a  strong  table,  the  long  side  facing  the 
audience — a  substantial  table,  but  not  a  valuable  one,  as 
the  operators  must  stand  upon  it. 

The  next  thing  to  be  considered  is  the  proscenium  arch, 
which  is  really  a  kind  of  frame  for  the  stage  opening.    An 


old-fashioned  gilt  picture-frame,  the  wider  and  more 
ornamented  the  better,  would  make  an  excellent  pro- 
scenium arch;  or,  if  there  happens  to  be  no  picture  frame 
which  may  be  used,  a  large  sheet  of  cardboard,  with  an 
opening  cut  about  two  feet  wide  by  a  foot  and  a  half 
high,  will  serve  very  well.  This  may  be  decorated  with 
water-color,  or  covered  with  gilt  paper,  pasted  fast.  It 
must  be  remembered,  however,  that  no  color  must  be 
used  in  the  proscenium  arch  which  will  conflict  with  the 
colors  which  have  been  chosen  for  the  costumes  and  set- 
tings of  the  play. 

The  back-drop  must  then  be  constructed.  This,  too,  may 
be  a  largo  shoot  of  cardboard,  and  a  frame  must  be  devised 
to  hold  both  proscenium  arch  and  back-drop  firm  and 
upright.     For  further  suggestions,  see  drawing. 

The  back-drop  affords  the  child  a  wide  field  for  decora- 


28    THE  TONY  SARG  MARIONETTE  BOOK 

tion.  It  may  be  reversible,  painted  gray,  or  pasted  over 
with  plain  gray  paper  on  one  side,  for  the  interior  scenes; 
and  green,  or  blue,  on  the  other,  for  the  outdoor  scenes, 
with  a  decoration  of  trees  cut  out  of  darker  green  paper 
and  pasted  on. 


Other  colors,  of  course,  may  be  used  for  the  back-drop. 
Plain  gray  is  suggested  for  interiors  because  it  will  har- 
monize with  any  color  scheme  planned  for  costumes  and 
stage-settings. 

If  one  of  the  children  is  clever  with  a  paint-brush, 
almost  anything  is  possible  to  the  back-drop — a  garden 
scene,  with  statues  and  flower  beds,  painted  on  the  card- 
board; an  interior  which  will  suggest  a  palace,  or  a  hovel, 
according  to  the  requirements  of  the  play.  These  decora- 
tions should  be  confined  to  the  flat  back-drop,  however, 
rather  than  introduced  in  properties  which  might  catch 
and  tangle  the  strings  of  the  marionettes,  causing  disaster 
to  the  performance. 

Certain  "props,"  furniture,  and  the  like,  are  necessary 
to  the  action  of  the  plays  you  are  to  produce.  Decide 
just  what  these  "props"  are  to  be — toy  furniture  will  do, 
if  it  is  in  correct  proportion  to  the  dolls — and  add  only 
such  additional  objects  as  will  make  the  setting  more 


THE  TONY  SARG  MARIONETTE  BOOK    29 

attractive,  but  will  not  be  likely  to  tangle  the  strings. 
Bits  of  greenery,  flowers,  and  twigs,  for  instance,  would 
interfere  seriously  with  the  action  of  the  marionettes. 

The  lighting  of  this  miniature  stage  is  an  easy  matter 
if  there  is  electricity  in  the  house.  A  portable  reading 
lamp,  placed  so  that  it  will  shine  directly  on  the  stage, 
will  furnish  daylight;  covered  with  a  piece  of  blue  silk 
will  serve  as  moonlight.  For  firelight,  cover  the  lamp 
with  red.  Numerous  lighting  effects  may  be  worked  out 
by  ingenious  children.  The  room  must  be  darkened,  of 
course,  while  the  stage  is  lighted. 

Next  comes  the  stage  curtain,  which  should  either  be 
one  with  rings,  which  can  be  pulled  aside,  or  a  small 
window  shade,  if  it  can  be  fitted  firmly  into  the  frame 
which  holds  the  proscenium  arch  and  back-drop.  It  is 
essential  that  the  stage  curtain  be  one  which  can  be 
quickly  lowered  and  raised,  as  even  in  professional  marion- 
ette productions,  emergencies  will  occur,  when  the  curtain 
must  be  instantly  dropped,  if  the  strings  have  become  en- 
tangled, and  the  unfortunate  doll  left  helpless  in  some 
absurd  position.  When  this  happens,  drop  the  curtain, 
untangle  the  strings,  and  raise  the  curtain  again  as  quickly 
as  possible. 

A  good  place  for  the  stage  would  be  in  a  doorway,  where 
portieres  are  used — a  double  doorway,  if  possible.  Pin 
the  portieres  over  the  top  of  the  stage  (which  stands  on 
a  table,  as  we  have  said)  draping  them  around  the  open- 
ing. This  will  hide  the  young  puppeteers,  who  must 
stand  on  the  stage  table,  to  manipulate  the  dolls.  It  will 
also  provide  room  for  interested  spectators,  who  always 
crowd  back  stage  to  see  how  the  thing  is  done. 

And  now  for  the  marionette,  himself!  For  home-made 
puppets,  rag  dolls,  about  seven  inches  high,  which  can  be 
bought  at  any  toy  store,  are  best.  They  are  cheap,  flexi- 
ble, and  easy  to  convert  into  puppet 

Or,  if  one  wishes,  lay  figures— jointed  manikins,  which 
are  used  by  arti.-ts  and  can  be  bought  al  arl  Btorea  -will 
serve,  or  almost  any  kind  of  doll,  restrung  so  that  its 
joints  are  very  loose. 


30    THE  TONY  SARG  MARIONETTE  BOOK 


(Ubtf       t , 

pafxtr   rnacKa 

k*9- 


The  first  thing  to  do  in  converting  any  kind  of  doll 
into  a  puppet  is  to  loosen  the  joints  so  that  knees,  elbows 
and  neck  will  move  easily.  A  flexible  puppet,  which  re- 
sponds to  a  touch  on  the  strings, 
is  a  good  puppet;  a  stiff  puppet, 
however  attractive  otherwise, 
is  always  a  bad  puppet. 

To  loosen  the  joints  of  a  rag 
doll,  take  the  stuffing  out  of 
the  arms,  legs  and  neck,  where 
the  joints  are  placed,  and  fix 
them  with  a  needle  and  thread 
in  such  a  way  that  they  become 
as  flexible  as  if  they  were  hang- 
ing by  one  thread  only.  For 
instance,  if  you  hold  the  doll 
upright,  after  the  joints  have 
been  loosened,  the  head  should 
flop  down  and  rest  on  the 
chest,  and  the  knees,  when  bent, 
should  double  up  completely. 

Mr.  Sarg,  himself,  cuts  the 
bodies  of  the  dolls  in  two  at 
the  waist -fine,  and  inserts  a 
short  section  of  stocking,  which 
forms  a  hollow  waist.  This 
gives  the  figures  greater  facility 
in  walking,  and  also  enables 
them  to  bend  more  easily. 

In  the  rag  doll,  the  stocking 
section  may  be  sewed  into  the 
body,  but  it  is  not  absolutely 
necessary,  as  the  hollow  waist 
was   invented  for  more  com- 
plicated puppets. 
Strings  should  be  attached  to  each  arm  at  the  wrist, 
each  leg  at  the  knee,  and  two  strings  should  be  attached 
to  the  head,  one  at  each  ear.    Or,  instead  of  head  strings, 
it  is  a  good  device  to  run  a  piece  of  stiff,  thin  wire  through 


THE  TONY  SARG  MARIONETTE  BOOK    31 

the  head.  A  slight  turn  of  the  wire  in  the  operator's  hand 
will  then  cause  the  head  to  move  naturally.  The  wire 
will  be  useless,  however,  if  it  revolves  inside  the  head. 

Professional  marionettes  are  fitted  with  many  strings — 
some  of  Mr.  Sarg's  dolls  have  as  many  as  twenty-six — 
but  their  manipulation  is  too  difficult  for  the  beginner, 
who  would  do  well  to  start  with  simple  head-,  wrist-,  and 
leg-strings.  As  he  becomes  expert  in  moving  the  dolls, 
the  inventive  child  will  work  out  additional  strings  for 
himself,  and  will  be  surprised  to  discover  what  a  variety 
of  accomplishments  are  possible  to  his  little  actors. 

The  strings  should  be  of  strong,  black  linen  thread,  as 
black  strings  are  less  noticeable  than  those  of  color.  Use 
carpet-thread,  or  ordinary  black  linen  thread,  such  as  is 
used  for  sewing  on  shoe  buttons. 

The  feet  of  the  male  characters  should  be  opened  and 
some  shot,  or  something  equally  heavy,  inserted  to  weight 
the  figures.  This  will  help  the  dolls  in  walking.  The  most 
difficult  thing  for  the  young  puppeteer  to  learn  is  to  make 
the  dolls  walk  naturally. 

Female  characters  with  long  skirts  need  not  have  leg- 
strings,  but  can  be  floated  in,  although  leg-strings  are 
always  better.  Female  characters  with  short  skirts  must 
have  leg-strings. 

For  the  animals  introduced  into  the  plays,  toys  are 
practical.  Many  animals,  such  as  lions,  bears  and  dogs, 
which  can  be  converted  into  charming  puppets,  may  be 
bought  at  the  toy  shops.  One  of  Tony  Sarg's  most  suc- 
cessful puppets  was  a  paper  snake,  which  was  bought  at 
an  Oriental  store.  The  animals,  like  the  human  figures, 
must  be  loosened  at  the  joints  and  fitted  with  strings. 

If  you  cannot  buy  a  wolf  at  the  toy  store  for  the  play  of 
"Red  Riding-Hood,"  use  the  most  wolfish-looking  dog 
you  can  find.  Make  some  small  alterations  to  his  ears 
and  tail,  dye  him  gray,  and  you  will  have  a  life-like  wolf. 

The  strings  belonging  to  each  doll,  with  the  exception 
of  the  legHBtringS,  should  be  fastened  to  a  cross,  made  of 
two  strips  of  wood,  one  about  a  foot  long,  and  the  Other 
nine  inches,  with  a  leather  strap  tucked  over  the  crossing, 


'32    THE  TONY  SARG  MARIONETTE  BOOK 


which  must  form  a  loop  sufficiently  large  to  allow  the 

hand  of  the  operator  to  be  slipped  underneath.    The  doll 

and  controller  are  hung  up  by  this  loop  when  not  in  use. 

All  strings  from  the  body  to  the  cross  are  to  be  held 


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ic*ee$   auo  >i    HELD 


^§*«  a  piece   op 

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fvrper  r"  wm«  not- 
t*j  Vie 


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Ate    Fixep    iT* 
which    counter 

MANM  • 
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a  Stk/ng  cofjfecrs   To 

t+iODLS      Of      SA<Tk. 
TILT     UPWARDS     AND 

Fidi/ee     Qcnos 


FodwARP 


T.    front  foirffi    at  CACtt 
ABg-  eoAinecTeo     apes  of 
««»,     fif/vo    f'boae  iuGHrty 
too.  wfl«p  -thch  -tilt  'F"—"r' 
A*0     PvfPtrS      Heno     i-jit-L.   TuQts 

(LIGHT    A/VO       t-^Ff    , 


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Piece  of  wim  .  T«ese  p«ppew 
Aoe     i'MPLea    To    oPee.AT€"   &ur 

^  NOT         io      CFKCTiwt   — — 


in  the  operator's  left  hand,  the  hand  itself  slipped  under  the 
strap.  The  strings  from  the  sides  of  the  head  are  attached 
to  the  ends  of  the  arms  of  the  cross.  A  twist  makes  the 
head  of  the  puppet  turn,  tilting  makes  the  puppet  bow. 
The  strings  from  the  wrists  are  fastened  to  the  short  end 
of  the  cross.     (See  drawing.) 

The  knee-strings  are  attached  to  a  separate,  straight 
stick,  about  eight  inches  long,  to  be  held  in  the  operator's 
right  hand.    When  it  is  twisted  back  and  forth,  the  feet 


THE  TONY  SARG  MARIONETTE  BOOK    33 

lift  alternately.  When  this  twisting  is  accompanied  by  a 
forward  movement  of  the  main  controller,  as  it  is  called, 
from  which  the  doll  hangs  suspended,  a  walk  is  accom- 
plished. 

There  is  a  hole  in  the  middle  of  the  stick  which  controls 
the  leg-strings,  designed  to  slip  over  a  knob  on  the  short 
end  of  the  main  controller.  The  object  of  this  is  merely 
to  free  the  right  hand  of  the  operator,  when  the  puppet  is 
not  walking,  so  that  he  may  devote  both  hands  to  the 
manipulation  of  the  other  strings.  This  is  a  very  simple 
device,  easily  fashioned  with  a  penknife. 

It  is  a  good  plan  to  arrange  the  amateur  performance  in 
such  a  way  that  the  dolls  may  sit  on  chairs,  or  benches,  as 


much  as  possible,  as  it  is  easier  to  operate  them  while 
they  are  seated,  the  hands  of  the  operator  being  left  free 
from  holding  the  leg-strings,  so  that  they  may  be  used 
for  working  the  head-  and  hand-strings,  as  lias  been  said. 
A  child  who  has  a  gift  for  modeling,  may  make  fasci- 
nating character  heads  for  marionettes  with  modeling 
wax,  which  becomes  hard  in  a  short  time.  It  can  be 
bought  at  any  art  store.     If  these  wax  heads  are  to  lx) 


34    THE  TONY  SARG  MARIONETTE  BOOK 

made  permanent,  they  should  be  covered  with  some  fine 
gauze,  soaked  in  glue,  which,  when  it  dries,  will  form  a 
hard,  protecting  surface,  which  may  be  painted. 

Suggestions  for  giving  marionette  entertainments  at 
home,  and  two  fairy  plays  for  home-made  marionettes, 
are  given  in  the  next  chapter. 


CHAPTER  VI 

Two  Fairy-Plays  for  Home-made  Marionettes:  With 
an  Introduction  Which  Tells  How  to  Give 
Marionette  Entertainments  at  Home 

While  there  is  opportunity  for  the  exercise  of  ingenuity 
and  individual  taste  in  staging,  on  the  part  of  the  children 
who  plan  to  present  these  little  plays  for  marionettes,  a 
few  words  of  suggestion  about  arranging  a  marionette 
entertainment  at  home  will  probably  prove  helpful. 

The  plays  themselves  were  written  expressly  for  home- 
made marionettes  and  have  been  kept  purposely  simple 
and  within  the  capabilities  of  children  to  produce.  There 
are  no  difficult  feats  for  the  dolls  to  perform ;  the  charac- 
ters and  changes  of  scene  are  few;  and  the  properties  are 
such  as  are  likely  to  be  found  in  any  well-furnished  play- 
room. 

Directions  for  building  and  setting  up  the  stage,  for 
stage  lighting,  also  for  making  and  manipulating  puppets, 
are  given  in  a  preceding  chapter.  These  suggestions  will 
help  the  children  in  the  practical  arrangement  of  the  en- 
tertainment, after  the  all-important  matter  of  preparing 
the  show  itself  has  been  completed. 

The  play  should  be  given,  if  possible,  in  a  room  where 
there  is  a  piano,  so  that  there  may  be  music  l)cfore  the 
curtain  goes  up  and  during  the  changing  of  the  BCeneSj 
also  to  accompany  the  little  songs  which  are  a  part  of  the 
plays.  The  music  for  the  songs,  which  are  given  in  the 
text,  may  be  found  in  "Mother  (loose's  Nursery  Rhymes 
Set  to  Music,"  by  J.  W.  Elliott,  published  by  McLoughlin 
Brothers,  Inc. 

35 


36     THE  TONY  SARG  MARIONETTE  BOOK 

A  toy  music  box  may  be  used  with  good  effect  for  all 
music  but  the  accompaniment  of  6ongs  and  dances.  Its 
quaint  tinkle  is  in  the  spirit  of  the  puppet  show. 

The  lines  are  usually  spoken  by  the  "puppeteers,"  or 
operators,  who  move  the  marionettes  about  the  stage.    In 


a  marionette  play  given  by  children,  however,  the  young 
puppeteers  may  find  it  too  difficult  to  move  the  dolls 
and  speak  the  lines  at  the  same  time.  In  that  case  some 
grown  person — mother,  governess,  or  elder  sister — may 
read  the  lines  as  the  little  people  work  the  strings  which 
control  the  marionettes.    They  must  take  care,  of  course, 


THE  TONY  SARG  MARIONETTE  BOOK        37 

to  "suit  the  action  to  the  word,"  so  that  the  dolls  make 
the  gestures  appropriate  to  the  words  which  are  being 
read.  A  grown  person  might  also  keep  an  eye  on  the 
strings,  and  if  they  become  tangled  give  the  signal  to  ring 
down  the  curtain. 

The  first  thing  to  do  is  to  appoint  a  stage  director  and 
a  property  man.  It  will  be  the  duty  of  the  property  man 
to  be  responsible  for  all  properties  and  for  the  necessary 
changes  of  scene.  He  must  be  sure  to  have  all  properties 
in  readiness,  so  that  the  scenes  may  be  shifted  without 
unnecessary  delay.  He  may,  also,  raise  and  lower  the 
curtain.  A  bell  should  be  rung  as  a  signal  for  putting  out 
the  lights  and  raising  the  curtain. 

The  stage  director  will  call  rehearsals  and  drill  the 
puppeteers.  His  is  the  responsibility  for  the  success  of 
the  show  and  the  final  authority  for  all  matters  connected 
with  it. 

If  the  puppeteers  are  to  speak  the  lines  for  the  dolls 
they  operate,  there  must  be  a  prompter.  It  will  be  the 
duty  of  the  prompter  to  hold  the  book — back  of  the  scenes, 
of  course — and  follow  the  words  as  they  are  spoken,  so  as 
to  be  ready  to  prompt  if  anybody  forgets  his  lines. 

The  children  must  agree  which  parts  they  are  to  take; 
that  is,  which  doll  each  one  is  to  operate  and  speak  for. 
Every  puppet  requires  one  person  to  manipulate  it. 

Many  rehearsals  make  a  successful  entertainment;  and 
lines  to  be  spoken  should  be  thoroughly  memorized.  The 
less  prompting,  the  better. 

If  the  entertainment  is  to  be  given  for  a  real  audience, 
there  are  tickets  and  programmes  to  be  thought  of.  For 
tickets,  use  blank  cards,  and  print  as  on  next  page. 

The  programmes  you  may  make  as  elaborate  as  you 
choose.  The  important  things  to  remember  are  to  give 
the  name  of  the  play,  the  scenes,  the  characters,  and  the 
names  of  the  chili  Inn  who  take  part  in  the  entertainment. 

If  one  of  the  children  is  good  at  drawing,  it  would  In- 
attractive  to  have  a  sketch  of  «ach  marionette  on  the  pro- 
gramme, with  a  verse  printed  alongside.  Sketches  by 
Mr.  Sarg  and  verses  for  this  purpose  are  given  in  eonncc- 


38    THE  TONY  SARG  MARIONETTE  BOOK 

tion  with  both  of  the  plays.     Suggestions  for  costumes 
may  be  found  in  any  illustrated  book  of  fairy-tales. 

After  the  stage  is  ready,  the  company  well  drilled,  the 
properties  collected,  the  tickets  and  programmes  prepared, 


Jack  WNSMo&e's 

MARION  ETTES 

Little-  red  kwing  hoop 

"TRVPSOAV    AT    4-  M. 


the  room  must  be  arranged  for  the  entertainment.  Chairs 
must  be  placed  in  rows  facing  the  stage,  a  child  must 
be  stationed  at  the  door  to  take  tickets,  and  another 
must  be  appointed  to  darken  the  room  before  the  curtain 
goes  up.  The  room  must  always  be  dark  while  the  play 
is  going  on  if  the  stage  is  lighted. 

The  children  themselves  may  think  of  attractive  bits 
of  "business,"  as  it  is  called,  to  add  to  the  action  of  plays, 
as  it  is  indicated  in  the  text.  By  "business"  is  simply 
meant  action,  which  supplements  the  spoken  words.  A 
little  dance  may  be  added,  a  dog  may  do  some  tricks — 
that  is  "business."  Children  may  employ  their  own 
ingenuity  in  working  out  additional  lines  and  gestures,  as 
well  as  bits  of  business.  They  should  be  kept  in  the  spirit 
of  the  play  and  the  test  of  their  Tightness  is  whether  they 
are  understood  and  enjoyed  by  the  audience. 


SNOW-WHITE  AND  THE   DWARFS 
A  Play  for  Marionettes  in  Five  Scenes,^by  Anne  Stoddard 

Scene  I. — The  Queen's  bedchamber. 

Plain  back-drop  is  used.  A  mirror  is  placed  centre  back;  a  chair 
is  before  it.     A  spinet  and  bench,  left. 

The  Queen  sits  before  the  mirror,  admiring  herself,  with  her  back 
to  the  audience.  Her  long,  fair  hair  falls  to  her  knees.  Snow- 
White  sits  at  the  spinet.  She  plays  and  sings.  A  piano  is 
used  off-stage  for  the  music. 

Snow-White.  [Singing.] 

Little  Bo-Peep  has  lost  her  sheep, 
And  can't  tell  where  to  find  them,  etc. 
Queen.    [She  claps  her  hands  to  her  ears.]    Oh.  la,  la,  la!    Will 
you  never  cease  that  humming  and  strumming?    It  drives  me 
distracted. 

Snow-White.  I  am  sorry,  Stepmother.  [She  rises  from  the 
bench.]  I  thought  you  liked  to  hear  me  sing.  Shall  I  brush  your 
hair  for  you? 

Queen.  No,  no,  no!  Certainly  not!  An  awkward  girl  like 
you  would  be  sure  to  snarl  it.  [She  tosses  her  head.]  There,  now! 
It  is  snarled  already.  [She  flounces  about  spitefully.] 
Snow-White.  I  am  sorry,  Stepmother.  Shall  I  dance  for  you? 
Queen.  Oh,  yes,  I  suppose  so.  [She  taps  the  floor  with  her  foot 
impatiently.]  You  have  to  be  doing  something  every  minute, 
I  know  that. 

[Music  off-singe  and  Snow-Whith  docs  a  pretty 

little  dance.     The  Queen  does  not  look  at  her,  but 

studies  her  own  face  in  the  glass  and  touches  her 

hair  an/1  gown.] 

Qrr.EN.    Some  people  would  think  you  pretty,  no  doubt,  with 

your  red  and  black  and  white.    I  never  could  abide  that  coloring 

myself.    There  is  something  very  beautiful  about  blonde  hair — 

like  mine.     It  makes  one  think  of  new-minted  gold  with  the  sun 

39 


40  SNOW-WHITE  AND  THE  DWARFS 

glistening  on  it.  And  I  adore  blue  eyes — eyes  like  forget-me-nots 
under  running  water.  Do  you  not  admire  blue  eyes  like  mine, 
Snow-White? 

Snow-White.  Yes,  indeed,  Stepmother.  I  wish  I  had  blue 
eyes  and  golden  hair,  myself;  but,  you  see,  my  own  dear  mother 
always  wished  for  a  baby  with  hair  as  black  as  ebony,  cheeks 
as  red  as  blood,  and  skin  as  white  as  snow,  so  her  fairy  godmother 
sent  me  in  answer  to  her  wish. 

Queen.  A  funny  kind  of  wish!  "Black  as  ebony,  red  as 
blood,  and  white  as  snow,"  forsooth!  Tell  me,  Snow-White, 
did  you  ever  see  anyone  so  pretty  as  I  am? 
Snow-White.  No,  indeed.  At  least,  I  think  not. 
Queen.  [Mimicing  her.]  You  think  not,  eh?  Well,  I  will 
tell  you — I  am  the  most  beautiful  person  in  the  world!  And  my 
mirror  knows  it.  This  is  an  enchanted  mirror,  if  you  must  know 
it.    It  can  answer  when  I  speak  to  it. 

Snow-White.  [She  raises  her  hands  in  surprise.]  Enchanted? 
Really?  Pray,  speak  to  it,  Stepmother,  and  let  us  hear  what  it 
will  say. 

Queen.  [Rising  and  making  passes  with  her  hands  before  the 
mirror.] 

Mirror,  Mirror,  on  the  wall, 
Who  is  the  fairest  of  us  all? 
Mirror.    [A  little  bell  rings  like  tinkling  glass.] 
Queen,  thou  art  fair;   that  I  hold, 
But  Snow-White  is  fairer  a  thousandfold. 

[The  bell  rings  again.] 

Queen.    [She  strikes  the  mirror.]    Be  still,  be  still,  you  wicked 

mi  ror!    You  are  not  telling  the  truth.     What  is  the  matter 

with  you?    You  shall  tell  me  again;  and  tell  the  truth  his  time, 

mind  you! 

[She  steps  back  and  waves  her  hands,  as  before.] 
Mirror,  Mirror,  on  the  wall, 
Which  is  the  fairest  of  us  all? 
Mirror.    [The  bell  rings,  as  before.] 

Queen,  thou  art  fair;    the  truth  I  told, 
But  Snow-White  is  fairer  a  thousandfold. 

[The  bell  rings  again.] 
Queen.  [Turning  to  Snow-White  angrily.]  What  have  you 
done,  you  wretched  girl?  You  have  bewitched  my  magic 
mirror!  You  have,  I  say!  You  miserable  chit,  you  simpering 
black-and-white  witch,  you  shall  pay  for  this!  [She  strikes 
Snow-White.] 


SNOW-WHITE  AND  THE  DWARFS  41 

Snow- White.  Oh,  please,  Stepmother!  I  have  not  done 
anything.  Truly  I  have  not.  [She  bursts  into  tears,  with  her 
hands  before  her  face.] 

Queen.  We'll  see  about  that.  [She  calls.]  Redbeard!  Red- 
beard,  I  say! 

[Enter  Huntsman.] 

Redbeard.    [Bowing  low.]    Majesty! 

Queen.  Redbeard,  this  girl  is  a  witch.  She  has  put  a  spell 
on  my  mirror,  my  very  choicest  possession,  so  that  it  does  not 
tell  the  truth  any  more.  Dear  knows  what  she  will  be  magicing 
next.  Our  very  lives  are  not  safe,  while  she  is  about,  casting  her 
evil  spells.  [She  lowers  her  tone.]  Take  her  out  into  the  forest 
and  kill  her. 

Redbeard.  [Bowing.]  Majesty,  your  will  is  law.  Come, 
Princess.    [He  lays  his  hand  on  Snow- White's  shoulder.] 

Snow-White.  [Weeping  bitterly.]  Oh,  please,  please,  Step- 
mother!   Please  do  not  send  me  into  the  forest. 

Queen.  Go,  go,  you  simpering  baggage!  Go,  before  I  make 
an  end  of  you  myself.  [Exeunt  Redbeard  and  Snow-White.] 
"Black  as  ebony,  red  as  blood,  and  white  as  snow,"  indeed!  I'll 
ebony  you!    [She  shakes  her  fist  after  them.] 

Curtain. 

Scene  II.— The  Forest. 

Green  back-drop,  stenciled  with  trees,  is  used.    A  small  log  of  wood, 

which  will  serve  as  a  fallen  tree,  is  the  only  property  required 

for  this  scene. 

[Enter  Huntsman,  leading  Snow-White.] 

Snow-White.  Oh,  good  Huntsman,  I  am  so  weary  I  cannot 
walk  another  step.  My  feet  are  bruised  with  the  stones  and  my 
flesh  is  torn  with  the  briars.  Pray,  good  Redbeard,  let  me  rest 
a  little. 

Redbeard.  [He  points  to  the  fallen  tree.]  Here  is  a  fallen  tree. 
Sit  here  and  rest,  then. 

S.vow-White.  It  will  be  good  to  rest  awhile.  Thank  you, 
Huntsman.    Bat — but —    [She  begins  to  cry.] 

Rkuheard.  Why  do  you  weep,  Princess?  What  is  the 
matter? 

Snow-White.    I  heard  my  stepmother  tell  you  to  kill  me. 

Redbeard.    Her  Majesty  did  say  something  of  that  sort. 

Snow-Wuite.    [She  falls  on  her  knees.]    Please,  please,  do  not 


42         SNOW-WHITE  AND  THE  DWARFS 

kill  me!  I  do  not  want  to  die.  If  you  will  spare  me,  I  will  run 
away  into  the  wild  forest  and  never  come  back.  I  will  hide  in 
the  woods  and  the  Queen  will  never,  never  see  me  again. 

Redbeard.  [He  seats  himself  on  the  log.]  Between  ourselves, 
Princess,  I  never  thought  of  killing  you.  I  could  not  kill  a  little 
maid  with  such  red  cheeks  and  black  hair — no,  not  if  forty 
queens  ordered  me  to  do  it. 

Snow-White.  How  good  you  are,  Redbeard!  How  kind  and 
noble!  Thank  you,  thank  you,  thank  you.  [She  seats  herself 
beside  him  on  the  log.] 

Redbeard.  How  will  you  fare  in  the  forest,  Princess?  Surely 
wild  beasts  will  eat  you  up,  if  you  roam  through  the  woods  by 
yourself.  As  we  passed,  I  saw  a  little  house  by  a  hemlock  tree 
on  the  edge  of  the  clearing — a  tidy  cottage  with  smoke  curling 
from  its  chimney.  Gray  as  a  wasp's  nest,  it  was,  and  the  thatch 
green  with  moss.  The  path  to  the  door  was  sprinkled  with  white 
pebbles.  Perchance  good  folk  live  there  who  will  give  you 
shelter. 

Snow-White.  Yes,  yes,  I  saw  the  little  house,  and  thought 
how  cozy  it  looked,  and  wished  that  I  might  stop  and  rest  there. 
Oh,  I  shall  be  as  bold  as  a  lion!  I  shall  walk  up  the  pebbly  path 
and  knock  on  the  door;  and  I  shall  say  [She  jumps  up,  laughing, 
and  curtseys  to  an  imaginary  person]:  "Good  day,  Sir  or  Madam, 
I  am  Snow-White.  May  I  come  and  live  with  you?"  [To  the 
Huntsman.]  What  shall  you  say  to  the  Queen,  when  you  go 
back? 

Redbeard.  [Rising.]  I  have  thought  of  a  fine  plan.  As  I 
return  through  the  forest,  I  will  shoot  a  faun  and,  drawing  out 
the  arrow  still  wet  with  blood,  I  will  smear  it  on  my  hands  and 
on  my  jacket.  Then  Her  Majesty  will  believe — you  know  what 
she  will  believe,  Princess. 

Snow-White.    Alas! 

Redbeard.  And  now  I  must  be  on  my  way,  if  I  am  to  reach 
the  palace  before  nightfall.  Farewell,  Princess!  [He  bends  over 
her  hand,  kissing  it] 

Snow-White.  Farewell,  good  Redbeard.  If  ever  Snow-White 
is  rich  or  powerful  or  happy  again,  she  will  know  how  to  reward 
you! 

[Exit  Huntsman.    Snow-White  stands,  waving  her 
hand  as  he  departs.] 

Curtain. 


SNOW-WHITE  AND  THE  DWARFS         43 

Scene  III. — The  House  of  the  Dwarfs. 

Plain  back-drop  is  used.  A  bed  is  placed  at  the  back.  A  table  set 
with  food  and  dishes  for  three  persons  occupies  the  foreground. 
A  long  bench  stands  behind  the  table. 

There  is  no  one  on  the  stage  when  the  curtain  goes  up. 
Knocking  is  heard  at  the  door  and  Snow-White  enters.  This 
part  of  the  play  is  done  in  pantomime.  Snow-White  walks 
around  the  room  and  touches  everything.  She  seats  herself  on 
the  bench  and  tastes  the  food  at  each  place. 

Snow-White.  I  am  very  hungry  indeed.  [She  settles  down  to 
her  supper.  When  she  has  finished,  she  tries  the  bed  and  lies  down 
to  sleep.]  Ah-h-h!  [She  sighs  comfortably.]  I  am  very,  very 
sleepy! 

[Enter  the  three  Dwarfs.    They  do  not  see  Snow-White.] 

First  Dwarf.  Come,  brothers.  I  left  our  supper  on  the 
table.    Let  us  eat. 

[The  Dwarfs  inspect  the  table.] 

Second  Dwarf.    Who  has  been  nibbling  my  cheese? 

Third  Dwarf.  Somebody  has  been  here!  Somebody  has 
been  eating  off  my  plate! 

First  Dwarf.    Who  has  been  crumbling  my  bread? 

Second  Dwarf.    Who  has  been  tasting  my  porridge? 

Third  Dwarf.    Who  has  been  using  my  fork? 

First  Dwarf.    Who  has  been  cutting  with  my  knife? 

Third  Dwarf.    Who  has  been  drinking  out  of  my  cup? 

[The  Second  Dwarf  goes  to  the  bed.] 

Second  Dwarf.  Come  here,  brothers!  Come  here!  Here  is 
a  little  girl,  asleep  in  my  bed ! 

[The  other  two  turn  to  the  bed.] 

Third  Dwarf.  What  a  pretty  little  girl!  And  how  soundly 
she  sleeps!    It  must  be  she  who  has  eaten  our  supper. 

First  Dwarf.  She  is  tired,  perhaps,  with  walking  in  the 
forest.  [To  Second  Dwarf.]  You  may  share  my  bed  in  the  loft, 
brother,  and  the  pretty  little  girl  may  sleep  as  long  as  she  likes. 
OW-Whttb.  [Springing  up.]  Where  am  I?  I  must  havo 
been  asleep.  [She  rubs  her  eye*.]  Oh,  Sirs!  I  am  so,  so  sorry. 
I  ate  some  of  your  supper,  because  I  was  very  hungry,  and  I 
went  to  sleep  in  your  bed,  because  I  was  very  tired  walking  so 
long  in  the  wood. 

I  ii;-. i  Dwarf.  That  is  all  right,  little  girl.  What  is  your 
name? 


44  SNOW-WHITE  AND  THE  DWARFS 

Snow-White.  My  name  is  Snow-White  and  I  am  the  Queen's 
stepdaughter.    It  is  very  kind  of  you  not  to  be  angry  with  me. 

Second  Dwarf.  How  did  you  get  into  our  house,  little  Snow- 
White? 

Snow-White.  [She  bursts  into  tears.]  The  Queen  wants  to 
kill  me.  She  told  Redbeard,  the  Huntsman,  to  make  an  end  of 
me  in  the  forest — but  he  let  me  go,  so  I  came  here. 

First  Dwarf.  You  must  live  with  us,  little  Snow-White. 
And  since  we  are  poor,  perhaps  you  will  keep  the  house  tidy  for 
us  and  cook  our  food? 

Snow- White.    That  I  will  gladly,  kind  Dwarf. 

First  Dwarf.  Will  you  look  after  our  household,  cook  our 
food,  make  the  beds,  wash,  sew  and  knit,  and  keep  everything 
neat  and  clean?    Then  you  shall  stay  and  want  for  nothing. 

Snow-White.  Yes,  indeed,  I  will.  With  all  my  heart.  [She 
curtseys  to  each  of  the  Dwarfs  in  turn  and  they  bow  awkwardly 
to  her.] 

First  Dwarf.  But  you  must  beware  of  your  wicked  step- 
mother, who  will  soon  learn  that  you  are  here  and  will  come  to 
do  you  a  mischief.  You  must  not  let  anyone  into  the  house 
while  we  are  away  at  work. 

Snow-White.  I  will  be  very  careful  and  will  not  let  anyone 
in. 

Second  Dwarf.    Then,  let's  to  supper. 

Snow-White.    I  have  eaten,  thank  you. 

First  Dwarf.  Come,  brothers.  Draw  up  to  the  table. 
There  is  plenty  of  supper  for  all  of  us. 

[They  seat  themselves  at  the  table  and  eat,  while 
Snow-White  busies  herself  straightening  the  bed. 
As  she  does  so,  she  hums  "Little  Bo-Peep."] 

Curtain. 


Scene  IV. — The  House  of  the  Dwarfs. 

A  week  has  passed  since  the  last  scene.  The  stage-setting  is  the 
same  as  before,  except  that  food  and  dishes  have  been  removed 
from  the  table,  which  has  been  pushed  to  one  side. 

Snow-White  is  discovered  alone  on  the  stage.    She  has  a 

feather  duster  pinned  into  her  hand  and  whisks  about,  tidying 

the  room.     She  sings,  "  Little  Bo-Peep  "  as  she  dusts;  then 

does  a  pretty  little  dance  to  amuse  herself.     Music  off  stage. 

While  she  is  dancing  the  Queen  comes  in,  disguised  as  a 


SNOW-WHITE  AND  THE  DWARFS  45 

market  woman,  with  a  shawl  over  her  head.    She  has  a  basket 
of  apples  on  her  arm. 

Queen.    Are  the  Dwarfs  at  home? 

Snow- White.  [She  jumps  and  raises  both  hands.]  How  you 
startled  me!  Pray,  Madam,  who  are  you?  And  how  did  you 
get  in?    I  am  forbidden  to  let  anyone  into  the  house. 

Queen.  I  lifted  the  latch  and  walked  in.  You  are  fond  of 
singing,  aren't  you?  You  were  singing  so  loudly,  you  did  not 
hear  me  knocking.    Are  the  Dwarfs  at  home? 

Snow-White.  No,  they  have  gone  to  their  work,  digging  for 
copper  and  gold  in  the  mountain. 

Queen.  Ah!  .  .  .  That  is  too  bad,  for  I  have  some  fine  apples 
to  sell. 

Snow-White.  Apples?  I  love  apples.  Perhaps  you  will 
show  them  to  me.  I  am  housekeeper  here  and  do  all  the  mar- 
keting. 

Queen.  With  pleasure.  See,  they  are  fine  red  apples.  The 
flavor  is  excellent. 

Snow-White.  They  look  very  good.  Bring  the  basket  here 
to  the  pantry  and  I  will  give  you  a  silver  coin  for  them. 

[Both  exeunt.  The  basket  is  removed  from  the  Queen's 
•  arm,  and  the  feather  duster  from  Snow-White's 

hand.  An  apple  is  pinned  into  Snow- White's 
hand,  in  its  place.  The  stage  is  empty  during  this 
operation,  but  the  voices  of  the  Queen  and  Snow- 
White  are  heard  from  the  pantry.] 

Queen.  Will  you  not  taste  before  you  buy?  I  can  recommend 
the  flavor.  These  apples  are  juicy,  sweet  and  tart  at  the  same 
time.    Here  is  a  fine,  red  one.    Taste  it,  I  beg  of  you. 

Snow-White.  Indeed,  I  will.  Ah,  here  is  my  purse.  The 
Dwarfs  are  poor,  but  very  generous.  They  give  me  all  their 
money  to  keep.    Here  is  a  silver  coin.    Is  that  enough? 

QuBEH.  Quite.  And  you  have  a  fine  bargain.  [Enter  Queen 
and  Snow-White.]    But  eat  the  apple,  I  beseech  you. 

Snow-White.  I  v. ill,  thank  you.  [She  takes  a  bite.]  It  is  a 
delicious  apple.  [She  -staggers  suddenly  and  bends  double,  as  if  she 
were  in  pain.]  Oh,  how  strange  I  feel,  Madam!  I  am  dizzy! 
Oh,  how  dizzy  I  ami 

Queen.  Ha!  Do  you  oot  yet  recognize  your  dear  stepmother, 

Snow-Whit.  ■' 

Snow-White.    Btepmotherl    You!    Oh,  how  diuy  I  am! 

Oh,  what  have  you  done  to  me?     [She  sinks  to  tin:  jl  nor.] 


46         SNOW-WHITE  AND  THE  DWARFS 

Queen.  It  is  a  poisoned  apple,  dear  stepdaughter,  a  magic 
apple.  The  maid  who  eats  of  it  shall  fall  into  a  long  sleep.  She 
si  uill  sleep  and  sleep  and  shall  not  waken  until  a  prince  who 
loves  her  truly  shall  kiss  her  on  the  lips.  Do  you  hear  me,  Snow- 
White? 

Snow- White.  [She  half  rises  and  falls  back  again.]  Yes — yes 
— I  hear  you — but  I  am  sleepy,  so,  so  sleepy. 

Queen.  [She  makes  passes  with  her  hands  over  Snow-White.] 
Sleep,  sleep,  sleep!  [Snow- White  sighs  and  lies  still.]  Ha! 
The  charm  holds  good.  So  you  thought  I  should  believe 
that  silly  Huntsman's  tale,  did  you?  Ha,  ha!  you  pretty  bag- 
gage, it  will  be  a  long  time  before  a  Prince  will  find  and  kiss  you 
here  in  the  depths  of  the  forest.  "White  as  snow,  red  as  blood, 
and  black  as  ebony! "    I  am  well  rid  of  you! 

Curtain. 


Scene  V. — The  Forest. 

The  stenciled  back-drop  is  used.  Snow-White  lies  on  a  little 
mound,  decked  with  leaves  and  flowers.  The  Dwarfs  stand 
about  her. 

First  Dwarp.   How  pretty  she  is,  with  her  black  hair! 

Second  Dwarf.    How  red  her  cheeks  are! 

Third  Dwarf.    And  how  white  her  skin! 

First  Dwarf.  I  thought  she  would  waken,  if  we  brought  her 
here  into  the  forest.  She  loves  the  trees  and  the  flowers  and  the 
birds.    Perhaps  the  birds  can  waken  her,  or  the  soft  fit  tie  breezes. 

Third  Dwarf.  She  does  not  stir.  [He  bends  over  her.]  Wake 
up,  little  Snow- White!  Wake  up,  pretty  little  friend!  Alas! 
She  does  not  waken. 

Second  Dwarf.    She  kept  our  house  tidy. 

Third  Dwarf.    And  made  the  beds  nicely. 

Second  Dwarf.  How  good  her  cooking  was!  She  never 
forgot  that  I  like  sausages. 

Third  Dwarf.  She  did  the  marketing  well  and  never  wasted 
our  money. 

First  Dwarf.  How  light-hearted  she  was  around  the  house! 
Her  feet  were  always  dancing  and  she  had  always  a  song  on  her 
lips. 

Second  Dwarf.  [To  First  Dwarf.]  Well,  brother,  we  will 
leave  you  to  watch  by  little  Snow- White,  and  go  home  to  pre- 


SNOW-WHITE  AND  THE  DWARFS         47 

pare  our  supper.    There  is  nobody  now  to  cook  for  us.    Come, 
brother. 

[Exeunt  Second  and  Third  Dwarfs.] 

First  Dwarf.  She  does  not  stir.  I  can  think  of  nothing  to 
awaken  her. 

[Enter  the  Prince.] 

Prince.  Why  are  you  so  sorrowful,  friend?  And  who  is  the 
maiden  who  lies  so  still? 

First  Dwarf.  She  is  Snow- White,  the  Queen's  stepdaughter, 
who  kept  our  house  tidy  for  us;  and  made  our  hearts  glad  with 
her  pleasant  ways. 

Prince.    And  why  does  she  lie  so  still? 

First  Dwarf.  She  sleeps  and  we  cannot  waken  her.  When  I 
and  my  brothers  returned  from  the  mountain,  where  we  had 
been  digging  for  copper  and  gold,  we  found  her,  lying  on  the 
floor,  asleep.  And  so  she  has  been  ever  since.  I  think  the  wicked 
Queen,  her  stepmother,  has  laid  a  spell  on  her.  My  brothers 
and  I  carried  her  out  into  the  forest,  hoping  that  the  birds,  the 
flowers  and  the  breezes,  which  she  loves  so  much,  might  waken 
her. 

Prince.    It  is  a  sad  story.    She  is  very  beautiful. 

First  Dwarf.    And  very  good. 

Prince.  [Bending  over  Snow-White.]  What  do  I  see? 
"White  as  snow,  red  as  blood,  and  black  as  ebony!"  My  fairy- 
godmother  bade  me  search  the  world  over  for  a  princess  white 
as  snow,  red  as  blood,  and  black  as  ebony,  and  to  wed  no  other. 
And,  forsooth,  I  love  this  little  Snow-White.  [He  kneels  and 
touches  Snow-White's  hand.]  Awake,  Princess,  awake!  Alas, 
she  lies  so  still.  [To  the  Dwarf.]  I  pray  you,  good  Dwarf,  give 
Snow-White  to  me,  and  you  shall  have  what  you  will,  even  to 
the  half  of  my  kingdom. 

First  Dwarf.  We  will  not  give  Snow-WThite  to  you,  for  all 
the  gold  and  lands  in  the  wide  world. 

Prince.  Then  give  her  to  me  as  a  free  gift,  for  I  love  Snow- 
White  well;  and  I  cannot  live  without  her,  even  if  I  cannot 
waken  her. 

First  Dwarf.  Take  our  Princess,  then,  as  a  free  gift,  for  I 
can  see  that  you  love  her  truly. 

[The  Prince  bends  otrr  Snow-Whiti:  and  kisses 
her.    She  stirs,  sits  up,  and  rubs  her  eye*.] 

Snow-Whitk.  Have  I  been  asleep,  dear  Dwarf?  I  had  such 
a  bad  dream  about  my  stepmother.  I  dreamed  she  gave  me  an 
apple  to  eat  and  then  I  felt  all  queer  and  dizzy.    [The  Prince 


AS         SNOW-WHITE  AND  THE  DWARFS 

helps  her  to  rise.]  And  you,  fair  sir?  Are  you  a  stranger,  who  has 
lost  his  way  in  the  wood? 

Prince.  Yes,  Princess,  I  am  Crown  Prince  of  the  Three 
Kingdoms;  and  I  have  lost  my  heart  in  the  wood. 

Snow-White.  [Curtseying.]  I  used  to  be  Snow-White,  the 
Queen's  stepdaughter — but  I  have  siept  so  long,  and  so  many 
things  have  happened  that  I  hardly  know  who  I  am,  now. 

Prince.  If  you  will,  you  shall  be  Princess  of  the  Three  King- 
doms, and  one  day  queen,  sweet  Snow-White,  for  I  love  you 
better  than  anything  in  the  wide  world.  Will  you  come  with  me 
to  my  father's  castle? 

Snow-White.  With  all  my  heart,  Prince,  I  will  go  with  you 
and  be  your  true  love  for  ever  and  ever — but  first  I  must  ask  a 
favor  of  you. 

Prince.    Ask  what  you  will,  Princess,  and  it  shall  be  granted. 

Snow-White.  The  dear  Dwarfs  have  been  so  kind  to  me, 
and  made  me  very  happy,  while  I  lived  with  them;  and  Red- 
beard,  the  Huntsman,  saved  my  life  in  the  forest,  when  the 
Queen  would  have  destroyed  me.  I  should  love  to  do  something 
for  them  to  show  my  gratitude  and  affection. 

Prince.  As  you  wish,  sweet  Princess — it  is  a  gentle  thought. 
[To  the  First  Dwarf.]  You  shall  be  Chief  Councilor  of  the 
Three  Kingdoms,  good  Dwarf,  and  advise  us  about  everything, 
for  I  can  see  that  you  are  wise.  [The  Dwarf  bows  low.]  And 
your  brothers  and  the  Huntsman  shall  each  have  a  fine  piece  of 
land  and  a  castle  and  a  bag  of  gold.    Will  that  please  you?  _ 

First  Dwarf.  [Bowing  again.]  Thanks,  gentle  Prince. 
Thanks,  little  Snow-White. 

Snow-White.  And  I  thank  you,  too,  gentle  Prince.  [She  turns 
to  the  audience  and  stretches  out  both  hands.]  Everybody  is  good 
to  me.    It  is  a  happy  world! 

Curtain. 


SUGGESTIONS  FOR  THE 

Programme  of 

SNOW-WHITE  AND  THE  DWARFS 

"Snow- White  and  the  Dwarfs"  is  the  name  of  the  play 

We  have  chosen  our  marionettes  to  display. 

You'll  6ee  the  Queen's  bedchamber — scene  number  one — 

And  later  the  forest  at  set  of  the  sun; 

Then  the  house  of  the  Dwarfs — scene  three  and  scene  four- 

And  the  forest  again,  before  the  Dwarf's  door. 

The  characters  follow — the  gentle,  the  vain — 

Their  names  and  their  natures  these  rhymes  will  explain. 


Here  is  the  Queen.    Her  big  eyes  are  blue 

And  her  hair  is  like  gold,  but  her  heart  is  not  true. 


A        Here's  our  heroine,  Snow-white,  the  gentle  and  meek, 
V        Ebon-black  are  her  tresses  and  rosy  her  cheek. 


A 


M7 


Here  is  the  Mirror  that  hangs  on  the  wall — 

The  truth  it  must  speak  in  a  voice  sweet  and  small. 


Here  is  the  Huntsman,  called  Redboard  the  Good, 
For  he  led  little  Snow-White  unhurt  through  the 
wood. 


40 


50         SNOW-WHITE  AND  THE  DWARFS 


Here  are  the  Dwarfs,  so  ugly  and  bent, 
But  their  natures  are  kind  and  then- 
deeds  are  well  meant. 


And  here  is  the  Prince,  so  brave  and  so  gay! 
How  he  found  little  Snow- White  you'll  hear  in  our 
play. 


LITTLE  RED  RIDING-HOOD 

A  Play  for  Marionettes  in  Three  Scenes,  by  Anne  Stoddard 

Scene  I. — Dame  Riding-Hood's  kitchen. 

Dame  Riding-Hood  is  discovered  standing  by  a  table,  mixing 

dough  in  a  bowl.     As  she  kneads  it,  she  sings.     A  chair  is 

beside  the  table. 

Dame  Riding-Hood.    [Singing.] 

Jack  and  Jill 
Went  up  the  hill 

To  fetch  a  pail  of  water;  i 
Jack  fell  down 
And  broke  his  crown 

And  Jill  came  tumbling  after! 

[Enter  Goodman  Riding-Hood.] 
Goodman  Riding-Hood.  Your  song  sounds  cheerful,  Wife. 
[Dame  Riding-Hood  drops  a  curtsey.]  I  heard  you  singing  all 
the  way  over  the  hill  where  I  was  cutting  down  a  tree,  and  then 
I  remembered  that  it  is  baking  day.  I  am  getting  hungry !  It's 
a  long  time  since  breakfast.     [He  sings.] 

Jack  and  Jill 
Went  up  the  hill 

To  fetch  a  pail  of  water; 
Jack  fell  down 
And  broke  his  crown 

And  Jill  came  tumbling  after! 

Dame  Riding-Hood.  La,  now!  And  you  had  three  herrings 
for  breakfast!  What's  the  world  coming  to?  But  there!  Men 
are  always  hungry,  I  know.  Here's  a  little  tart  just  out  of  the 
oven.    [She  pushes  a  tart  that  stands  on  the  tabic  towards  him.] 

Goodman  Kidi.vj-IIood.  Good!  I  fancied  you  were  baking 
something  tasty.  [He  sits  down  and  cats.]  Where's  our  littlo 
daughter? 

Dame  Riding-Hood.    She  is  out  of  doors,  playing  with  her 

51 


52  LITTLE  RED  RIDING-HOOD 

dog.  [She  goes  to  the  door  and  calls.]  Red  Riding-Hood!  Red 
Riding-Hood!    Red  Riding-Hood! 

[Red  Riding-Hood  bounds  in,  followed  by  her  dog, 
who  frisks  about  her.] 

Red  Riding-Hood.  Oh,  dear  Mother!  Oh,  dear  Father!  fro 
the  dog.]  Go  down,  Tommy  Tucker!  Mother,  Tommy  has 
learned  a  new  trick.    Shall  he  show  it  to  you? 

Goodman  Riding-Hood.   Yes. 

Dame  Riding-Hood.    Yes,  show  us,  Little  Red  Riding-Hood. 

Red  Riding-Hood.    Well,  then,  I  will.    Now,  Tommy  Tucker, 

do  your  best  and  you  know  what  you  shall  have.     Good  old 

Tommy!    Now — remember!    [She  holds  up  her  hand  and  repeats] 

Little  Tommy  Tucker 

Beg  for  your  supper!       [The  dog  sits  up  and  begs.] 

Red  Riding-Hood. 

Little  Tommy  Tucker 

Sing  for  your  supper!  [The  dog  howls.] 

There,  Mother,  doesn't  he  do  that  nicely?  Now  you  shall  have 
your  bone,  good  doggie!  Come  along!  [She  runs  out,  followed  by 
the  frisking  dog.] 

Dame  Riding-Hood.  How  our  little  girl  is  growing!  I  think 
I  will  send  her  over  to  her  Grandmother's  this  morning  with  some 
of  these  tarts  and  a  dozen  new-laid  eggs. 

Goodman  Riding-Hood.  That's  a  good  idea.  And  when  I 
finish  chopping  down  the  big  hemlock  tree  on  the  hill,  I'll  carry 
a  bunch  of  faggots  over  to  the  old  lady.  She's  poorly  and  we 
ought  to  do  everything  we  can  for  her. 

Dame  Riding-Hood.  Yes,  she  is  sick  abed,  poor  old  lady. 
Perhaps  it  will  cheer  her  up  to  see  Red  Riding-Hood.  She  is 
such  a  dear  little  girl.  [She  hesitates  a  moment.]  But  she  will 
have  to  go  through  the  wood.  It  is  a  lonely  path.  Suppose 
something  should  happen  to  her?    It  frightens  me  to  think  of  it. 

Goodman  Riding-Hood.  Nonsense,  Wife.  [He  rises  from  the 
table.]  You  are  always  supposing  and  supposing,  and  nothing 
ever  happens.  Besides,  I  shall  be  in  the  wood  myself,  chopping. 
You  forget  that. 

Dame  Riding-Hood.  Very  well,  then — 'though  I  don't  feel 
easy  about  it.  Here  comes  the  child.  [Red  Riding-Hood  enters.] 
How  would  you  like  to  go  to  see  your  Granny  this  morning,  Red 
Riding-Hood?  And  take  her  a  little  basket  of  eggs  and  some 
tarts  and  a  glass  of  jelly? 

Red  Riding-Hood.  Oh,  goody,  goody!  [She  jumps  up  and 
down.    Tommy  jumps  too  and  barks.] 


LITTLE  RED  RIDING-HOOD  53 

Dame  Riding-Hood.  Come  into  the  pantiy,  then,  and  I  will 
give  3rou  your  basket.  It  is  all  ready.  I  packed  it  as  soon  aa 
breakfast  was  over. 

[Exit  Dame  Riding-Hood  arid  Red  Riding-Hood. 

They  return  at  once,  Red  Riding-Hood  with  a 

basket,  covered  with  a  napkin,  on  her  left  arm. 

While  they  are  off  stage,  Goodman  Riding-Hood 

dances  about,  singing,  "Jack  and  Jill,"  etc.] 

Dame  Riding-Hood.  Be  sure  to  ask  your  Granny  how  she  is 

feeling  to-day;  and  offer  to  sweep  up  the  hearth  with  the  little 

broom,  or  to  fetch  her  anything  she  wants. 

Red  Riding-Hood.  Yes,  Mother.  Good-bye,  Mother!  Good- 
bye, Father! 

Dame   Riding-Hood.     Good-bye,    Red   Riding-Hood.     Go 
straight  along  the  wood  path  to  your  Granny's  house  and  don't 
linger  along  the  way. 
Goodman  Riding-Hood.    Good-bye,  little  daughter! 

[Red  Riding-Hood  dances  out,  followed  by  the  frisking  dog.] 
Dame  Riding-Hood.    Oh,  take  care!    Take  care!    You  will 
break  the  eggs  and  spill  the  jelly! 

Red  Riding-Hood.  Forgive  me,  dear  Mother.  I  will  be,  oh 
so  careful.  [The  parents  wave  their  hands  to  her.] 

Goodman  Riding-Hood.  Well,  I  must  be  getting  back  to 
work.  Some  folks  might  say  it  was  a  hard  life,  chopping  wood — 
plenty  of  work  and  little  enough  money — but  I  like  it.  I  like 
to  hear  the  birds  singing  in  the  woods,  to  watch  the  bright  clouds 
and  to  listen  to  the  sweet  sound  of  the  breezes  talking  to  the 
trees.  Kings  on  their  thrones  don't  have  time  for  such  things, 
Mother.    Well,  I  must  be  going.     [He  waves  and  goes  out.] 


Curtain 


Scene  II.— The  Wood. 


Outdoor  back-drop  is  used.    There  is  a  large  stone  in  the  foreground. 
Red  RjDING-HoOD  comes  slowly  through  the  trees  villi  her  dug. 
Tommy  Tucker  chases  imaginary  rabbits,  dux/ting  about  with 
sharp  barking. 
RlD   RlDING-HoOD.  Oh,  you  funny  little  dog.     [She  laughs.] 
Come  here,  Tommy  Tucker,  you  nlly  puppy.     What  arc  you 
about?    There  are  no  rabbita  behind  that  rock. 
Tommy  Tuckxb.     Wowl    Woof! 

Red  Riding-Hood.   Do  yon  wanl  to  piny  "Row,  Wow,  Wow"? 
[Tommy  wags  his  tail  and  capers  about.]    Very  well,  ticu.    I'll 


54  LITTLE  RED  RIDING-HOOD 

sit  down  on  this  stone  and  rest  a  little.  I'm  sure  Mother  won't 
mind,  for  ic's  a  long  way  to  Granny's  house,  isn't  it,  Tommy? 
And  I  am  tired.  The  basket  is  heavy,  too.  [She  seats  herself  on 
the  rock.]  How  pretty  it  is  here  with  all  the  violets  and  may- 
flowers! 

Tommy  Tucker.    Bow  Wow! 

Red  Riding-Hood.  All  right,  if  you  want  to.  Ready? 
[Tommy  stands  alert.  Red  Riding-Hood  raises  her  hand.]  Ready? 
Bow!  Wow!  Wow!    [Short,  sharp.]   Whose  dog  art  thou? 

Tommy  Tucker.  Bow!  Wow!  Wow!  [He  imitates  with  a 
sharp  bark.] 

Red  Riding-Hood.    Little  Tom  Tinker's  dog! 

Bow!  Wow!  Wow! 

Tommy  Tucker.    Bow!  Wow!  Wow! 

Red  Riding-Hood.  Good  doggie!  Good  Tommy!  [She  pats 
him.]  I  wish  I  had  a  bone  or  a  piece  of  cake  to  give  you,  but 
Mother  wouldn't  like  it,  if  I  took  anything  out  of  Granny's 
basket. 

Tommy  Tucker.  Ur — ghrr — ghrr — ghrr —  [He  growls  and 
looks  down  the  path.] 

Red  Riding-Hood.  What's  the  matter,  Tommy?  Don't  be 
naughty.    What  is  it? 

[Enter  the  Wolf.    Red  Riding-Hood  jumps  up 
in  alarm  and  retreats  a  pace  or  two.] 

The  Wolf.    Good-morning,  Red  Riding-Hood. 

Red  Riding-Hood.  [Politely.]  Good-morniDg,  Sir!  [Tommy 
growls.] 

The  Wolf.  You  are  looking  bonny,  Red  Riding-Hood — 
very  juicy,  I  might  say.  Where  are  you  going  this  fine 
morning? 

Red  Riding-Hood.    I  am  going  to  my  granny's  house. 

The  Wolf.    And  where  is  your  granny's  house? 

Red  Riding-Hood.  Over  there  at  the  end  of  the  path.  See! 
You  can  just  see  the  smoke  from  the  chimney  curling  over  the 
tree  tops. 

The  Wolf.  Yes,  yes,  I  see,  I  see.  And  your  granny?  Is 
she  a  plump  old  lady?    A  nice,  fat,  juicy  old  lady? 

Red  Riding-Hood.  Oh,  no,  sir!  She  is  quite,  quite  thin. 
But  she  is  a  nice  granny.  She  bakes  cookies  for  me  when  she  is 
well.    To-day  she  is  sick  abed. 

The  Wolf.  So  that's  it?  Sick  abed,  is  she?  What  have  you 
in  your  basket? 

Red  Riding-Hood.    Little  tarts  and  a  dozen  eggs  and  a  glass 


LITTLE  RED  RIDING-HOOD  53 

of  jelly  for  Granny.  I  have  walked  very  slowly  and  very  care- 
fully, so  as  not  to  break  the  eggs,  or  spill  the  jelly. 

The  Wolf.  [Sniffing  at  the  basket.]  I  like  tarts  I  I  like  jelly, 
too,  but  I  like  little  girls  better.    You're  a  plump  little  girl. 

Red  Riding-Hood.  [Backing  away  in  alarm.]  I  must  be 
going.    Come,  Tommy.    [Tommy  growls.] 

The  Wolf.  Not  so  fast,  not  so  fast.  I  may  have  something 
to  say  about  that.  [The  ringing  strokes  of  an  axe  are  heard.] 
What's  that  noise? 

Red  Riding-Hood.  Oh,  that  is  my  father's  axe.  He  is  cutting 
down  a  big  tree  on  the  hill. 

The  Wolf.  Oh,  ho!  That  makes  a  difference  in  my  plans — 
I  didn't  know  your  father  was  so  near.  I  think  I'll  be  on  my 
way,  Red  Riding-Hood.  I  run  very  fast  and  perhaps  I  shall  see 
you  again.  You  are  such  a  juicy,  tender  little  girl.  I  love  you 
enough  to  eat  you  up,  Red  Riding-Hood.  [He  lopes  away  in  the 
direction  of  the  grandmother's  house.] 

Red  Riding-Hood.  Mother  sometimes  says  she  would  like 
to  eat  me  up,  too — but  it  sounds  different,  when  she  says  it.  I 
don't  like  Mr.  Wolf  very  much,  do  you,  Tommy? 

Curtain 


Scene  III. — The  Grandmother's  House. 

A  closet  with  open  top  and  without  any  back  is  placed  stage-left, 
as  far  front  as  possible.     The  door  of  the  closet  stands  open. 
The  Grandmother  is  in  bed.    She  coughs  and  turns  over. 

Grandmother.     Deary  me!    Deary  me!    Deary  me!    [She 
coughs  again.    The  Wolf  knocks  on  the  door.]    Who's  there? 

The  Wolf.    It  is  little  Red  Riding-Hood  with  a  basket  of 

goodies. 

Grandmother.    Press  the  latch,  open  the  door,  and  walk  in. 

[The  Wolf  opens  the  door  and  the  Grandmother 

screams  and  jumps  out  of  bed.    The  Wolf  makes 

a  bound  for  her  and  chases  her  around  the  room 

with  great  snarling  and  screaming.    He  drive*  ht  T 

into   the  closet  and  slams   the  door.     Sound  of 

slamming  door  back-stage.     The  operator  reacfu  I  a 

hand  into  the  closet  from  the  back  and  closes  the 

door,  removing  the  (  Ikandmotheh,  until  she  is 

needed  later  in  the  scene.] 


56  LITTLE  RED  RIDING-HOOD 

Grandmother.  [Her  voice  comes  faintly  from  the  closet.]  Are 
you  going  to  eat  me  up,  Mr.  Wolf?  Please,  please  do  not 
eat  me. 

The  Wolf.  Eat  you  up?  Not  a  bit  of  it.  You  are  much  too 
thin  for  a  hungry  wolf  to  make  a  dinner  of!  Hardly  two  mouth- 
fuls  on  you.  No,  indeed!  I  am  waiting  for  your  sweet,  lasty 
little  granddaughter.  There's  a  good  meal  for  you — a  de-li- 
cious  meal! 

[The  Grandmother  groans.] 

The  Wolf.  Where  is  your  cap,  old  woman?  Tell  me  in- 
stantly, or  I  will  bite  your  head  off! 

Grandmother.  Upstairs  in  the  bureau  drawer.  [The  Wolf 
dashes  out,  stage-left.  A  knocking  is  heard  at  the  door.  He  dashes 
back  with  the  cap  on  and  climbs  into  bed.] 

Red  Riding-Hood.  [Outside — she  knocks  repeatedly.]  Let  me 
in,  Granny.  It  is  little  Red  Riding-Hood  come  to  wish  you  good- 
morning! 

The  Wolf.    Press  the  latch,  open  the  door,  and  walk  in. 
[Enter  Red  Riding-Hood,  followed  by  her  dog.] 

Red  Riding-Hood.    Good-morning,  dear  Granny.    How  are 

you  today?    Mother  has  sent  you  a  basket  full  of  goodies — 

little  tarts,  eggs  and  a  glass  of  jelly.    [She  approaches  the  bed  and 

shrinks  back.]    Oh,  Grandmother!    What  big  ears  you  have! 

[The  dog  gives  a  sharp  yip  and  runs  out  of  the  open  door.] 

The  Wolf.    All  the  better  to  hear  you  with,  my  dear! 

Red  Riding-Hood.    What  big  eyes  you  have,  Grandmother! 

The  Wolf.    All  the  better  to  see  you  with,  my  child! 

Red  Riding-Hood.  [Whimpering.]  But — but — Grandmother 
— what  a  big  nose  you  have! 

The  Wolf.    All  the  better  to  smell  you  with,  my  child! 

[He  rises  in  bed.] 

Red  Riding-Hood.  [Crying.]  And  what  big  teeth  you  have, 
Grandmother! 

The  Wolf.  All  the  better  to  eat  you  up  with,  my  child.  [He 
springs  out  of  bed  and  makes  a  dash  for  Red  Riding-Hood.  She 
screams  and  runs  out.     The  basket  is  removed  from  her  arm.] 

[Enter  Goodman  Riding-Hood,  stage-right,  with  his 
axe.    He  is  followed  by  Tommy  Tucker.] 

Goodman  Riding-Hood.  [Striking  The  Wolf  with  the  axe.] 
Take  that,  you  wicked  wolf!  And  that!  [They  fight,  with  great 
snarling  from  The  Wolf,  who  is  killed  by  Goodman  Riding- 
Hood.] 

[He  kicks  the  dead  wolf  off  the  stage.] 


LITTLE  RED  RIDING-HOOD  57 

Red  Riding-Hood  [Enters].    Oh,  Father!    Father!    Father! 

[She  runs  to  him.] 

Goodman  Riding-Hood.  Don't  be  frightened,  little  Red 
Riding-Hood.  The  wicked  wolf  is  dead.  I  killed  him  with  my 
good  axe.    But  where  is  your  grandmother? 

Red  Riding-Hood.  I  do  not  know.  [Calling.]  Granny! 
Granny! 

Grandmother.  Here  I  am — in  the  closet.  Let  me  out! 
Undo  the  door! 

Goodman  Riding-Hood.  [Opens  the  door  and  the  Grand- 
mother comes  out.]  Well,  mother,  I  am  glad  to  see  you  safe  and 
sound.  But  if  it  had  not  been  for  Tommy  Tucker  here,  who 
came  to  fetch  me,  I  might  not  have  been  in  time  to  save  our  little 
girl  from  the  wolf. 

Grandmother.  You  are  a  good  dog,  Tommy — a  fine,  brave 
dog.  Grandmother  has  a  bone  for  you!  [Tommy  capers  about 
proudly.] 

Red  Riding-Hood.  I  brought  you  a  basket,  dear  Granny, 
that  Mother  sent  you;  and  I  didn't  break  any  of  the  eggs,  or 
spill  any  of  the  jelly. 

Grandmother.    Bless  the  dear  child.    Thank  you,  my  dear! 

Red  Riding-Hood.  I  am  so  happy,  so,  so  happy,  that  the 
old  wolf  is  dead! 

Grandmother.  So  are  we  all  happy,  all  very  happy,  that  the 
wicked  wolf  is  dead.  Something  always  happens  to  wicked  peo- 
ple— they  always  come  to  a  bad  end. 

Red  Riding-Hood.     Let  us  dance  a  little,  because  we  are 

happy!    What  do  you  say,  Granny?    Come  on,  dear  Granny! 

Come  on,  dear  father!    All  take  hands  this  way.    Here  we  go — 

[They  dance  and  sing  "Hey,  diddle,  diddle,"  etc.] 

Curtain 


SUGGESTIONS  FOR  THE 

Programme  op 

LITTLE  RED  RIDING-HOOD 

"Little  Red  Riding-Hood  "—that  is  the  play 
Our  puppets  will  give  for  your  pleasure  to-day. 

It  is  laid  in  three  scenes,  a  cottage,  a  wood, 
And  the  pleasant  farm  kitchen  of  Dame  Riding-Hood. 
You'll  learn  from  the  pictures  and  verses  below 
The  names  of  the  dollies  who  act  in  the  show. 


This  is  Red  Riding-Hood,  merry  and  sweet, 
Whom  the  wicked  old  wolf  was  planning  to  eat. 


jL/^This  is  the  father  of  Red  Riding-Hood 
y*  Who  chopped  down  the  trees  that  grew  in  the 

wood. 


This  is  the  mother,  good  Dame  Riding-Hood, 
^^    Who  brought  up  her  daughter  to  do  as  she 
should. 


This  is  the  doggie,  the  brave  Tommy  Tucker, 
Who  knew  how  to  beg  and  to  sing  for  bis 
supper. 

This  is  the  Granny,  who  lay  sick  abed 
With  her  specs  on  her  nose  and  her  cap  on 
her  head. 

This  is  the  Wolf,  crafty,  cruel  and  gray, 
To  hear  what  he  did,  give  heed  to  our  play. 


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